


SoulBound

by Murosaki_Iro



Series: Soulbound Au [1]
Category: Hazbin Hotel (Web Series)
Genre: Alastor is Bad at Feelings (Hazbin Hotel), Alastor is in Hell for a Reason (Hazbin Hotel), Angel Dust Being Angel Dust (Hazbin Hotel), Angel Dust is Bad at Feelings (Hazbin Hotel), Angel Dust's Name is Anthony (Hazbin Hotel), Angel Dust-Typical Sexual Content (Hazbin Hotel), Angst, Asexual Alastor (Hazbin Hotel), F/F, F/M, Hurt Angel Dust (Hazbin Hotel), Husk is Bad At Feelings (Hazbin Hotel), Husk is So Done (Hazbin Hotel), Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Torture, Intersex Angel Dust (Hazbin Hotel), M/M, Multi, Protective Alastor (Hazbin Hotel), Protective Husk (Hazbin Hotel), Smut, Soft Alastor (Hazbin Hotel), Soft Husk (Hazbin Hotel)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:42:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 43
Words: 76,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26322847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Murosaki_Iro/pseuds/Murosaki_Iro
Summary: There was no way he could deny it now: the spider’s latest injury proved the connection. Alastor began a nasty laugh as he brought his hand to his face, pushing himself off the door. The radio demon was once again tied to another soul in the way he hated the most, sharing in their pain and emotions through a bond he had never asked for.Alastor…was Soulbound.
Relationships: Alastor & Angel Dust (Hazbin Hotel), Alastor/Angel Dust (Hazbin Hotel), Charlie Magne & Vaggie, Charlie Magne/Vaggie, Husk & Niffty (Hazbin Hotel), Lilith Magne/Lucifer Magne, Rosie/Cherri Bomb (Hazbin Hotel), Valentino & Vox (Hazbin Hotel), Valentino/Velvet/Vox (Hazbin Hotel), Valentino/Vox (Hazbin Hotel)
Series: Soulbound Au [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1945540
Comments: 158
Kudos: 639
Collections: Completed Radiodust





	1. Your Pain

**Author's Note:**

> Shout out to @eeveesqwee on Twitter for the AU idea and the permission to write this story! I hope you all enjoy something a little different from me.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It wasn’t over: Alastor knew better than to expect relief like that even as he opened his eyes to glance around the dark room. A brief respite, that was all, and soon it would strike him again.

A quiet radio tower stood near the center of Pentagram city, looming high over the nearby buildings. A few demons scuttled around the structure, too scared of the creature who lived within to bother the grounds, even on a dark night such as this one. No, the nearby citizens _knew_ better than to risk waking that monster at night, lest it come and make a meal of them and their kin. Little did they know that it was not their puttering feet that would wake the radio demon.

Alastor was suddenly jolted up from his pillow, pain searing through his midsection like a hot knife. The radio demon had to stop himself from crying out, doubling over in his bed from the pain. He pressed his face into the mattress, unable to help the cry that escaped him as another wave of pain ran through his gut. His Shadow immediately rose from the floor at his voice, frantically searching for what had harmed its Master, but they were alone in the dark tower. Alastor waved the creature down, still holding himself as the pain faded and he let out a shaky breath. The Shadow obeyed, hovering hesitantly next to his side as its eyes continued to search for the cause of Alastor’s torment.

It wasn’t over: Alastor knew better than to expect relief like that even as he opened his eyes to glance around the dark room. A brief respite, that was all, and soon it would strike him again. Worse, harder than before, and the radio demon closed his eyes again, his body tensing as he waited. Where would it strike him next? In his head, as it had that night where he had to excuse himself from a meeting with Charlie? Or would it be his leg, like when he almost fell down the stairs in front of Vaggie? Perhaps, in his gut again, when he had been forced to cling to Husk for comfort as the pain racked his body…

Just as Alastor thought this, multiple waves of pain ran through his back and he cried out again, burying his face into the sheets as his horns grew, turning into antlers as his power now reacted, rising to allow him to protect himself. Anything to take away this pain, but what could he do? Alastor had no idea where this pain was coming from and he had already tried everything in his power to stop it. Every single one of the Overlord’s attempts had failed him, leaving him to deal with the ever-growing phantom sensations.

Alastor had begun feelings these phantom pains a few weeks ago, and while at first they had been a mere nuisance, merely a distraction as he tried to sleep or work, over time they had become much worse. At times, like tonight, they would be intense and strong enough to wake him from his sleep and fill him with a pain he had not felt since he was alive. The pain almost reminded him of the beatings his stepfather used to give him before he killed the bastard, but this time, there was no one to kill to end the torment. No, these pains were starting to become too much for the radio demon and he gripped his sheets tighter as another wave ran through him, this time striking his arm.

“ _STOP IT!”_ Alastor finally cried out, the static filled scream radiating from the tower into the neighborhood surrounding his home. The radio demon didn’t care whom he might have startled awake, or what fear he might have struck into the demons outside his tower. He shivered as the pain struck him again in the arm, another scream of wordless static escaping him. He _needed_ this pain to end, and he needed it to end _now._

As if answering his plea, the pain began to fade, no new pains coming in to take its place. Alastor let out a shaky breath, his Shadow and power retreating as relief filled the demon. It was over, at least for tonight, and the radio demon slowly pushed himself up. He gripped the sheets tightly, his vision still blurry as his head pounded from the residual pains. By Lucifer, when was this going to _end?_ They had been sparing at first, but lately it seemed to be a nightly occurrence, constantly keeping the Overlord awake at night. At this rate, Alastor would never get another good night’s sleep again and he closed his eyes, taking in another deep breath.

“I have to find a way to _end_ this suffering.” Alastor whispered to himself, sitting up on his knees as he threw his head back, sighing as the ache began to leave him. These pains were clearly not his own or from any memory of his own beatings: they _had_ to be coming from something or someone else. He couldn’t have been hexed or cursed, as thanks to his own use of voodoo magic, he would’ve been able to recognize such a thing immediately. It could be possible that someone was physically attacking him, but as the pain never left any marks, this was also unlikely.

Alastor growled softly, opening his eyes to look out at the night sky beyond his window. He slowly stood from the bed, walking over to the opening as he looked out into the city below. No demons sulked around his tower tonight, and even if any had, his screams had probably been more than enough to send the fools running. T’was but a shame: he could’ve used an excuse to help himself to a late-night snack, a morsel to fill his aching stomach. Anything to distract from the thoughts now rampaging through his skull, the annoying, terrifying prospect that fought to make itself known.

No, the more he thought about it, the more he didn’t like his final option for the cause of these pains. Yet, the longer this went on and the longer he went without finding another explanation, the more it seemed obvious. Alastor turned away from the window, snapping his fingers to summon his coat to his shoulders as he stepped out of the room. He quietly left the radio tower, slipping out onto the dark streets below.

Since he was awake, might as well make himself useful and return to the Hotel. It was unlikely that anyone would be awake at this hour, and he could work undisturbed, no longer plagued by Charlie’s constant suggestions or Angel’s insistent flirting. Alastor smiled to himself as he walked, the thought pleasing him greatly. Yes, since he was up anyway, at least he could get some needed work done in silence.

Alastor was surprised as he arrived at the hotel, finding that the front door had been left wide open by someone. Charlie and Vaggie were usually fast asleep this late at night, and Husk would usually be awake, but rarely left his room unless it was to raid the bar for more booze. Niffty was far too busy cleaning to bother with escapades beyond the hotel, so that left only one culprit for the open door.

“Angel.” Alastor growled, closing the door behind himself as he stepped in. His mood soured as soon as he entered the building, his smile quickly fading to a scowl as he made his way to the office Charlie had given him. That spider really could learn some manners, especially if he was inclined to leave the door to the Hotel wide open in the middle of the night, not to mention he was out past his curfew. Alastor scoffed as he spoke, flinching as he thought of the spider pleading his case with Charlie before the princess forgave him. _Again._ “He will have to be _properly_ reprimanded this time.”

Alastor quietly slipped into his room, breathing in the nostalgic smell of the books that he had filled the space with. A quick snap, and the small radio in the corner flared to life, filling the space with soft jazz as Alastor slid into his desk. It seemed that Charlie had already left him quite a number of papers and ideas to look at, given the stack on his desk, and the radio demon adjusted his monocle, picking up the first sheet.

This is not how he had planned to spend his night, but it was better than wallowing away in his tower, lost in his own thoughts and worries. So Alastor allowed himself to get lost in the papers on his desk, the memory of the pain and its possible cause fading from his mind.


	2. My Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angel fought the urge to spit something back, swallowing his rising frustration and anger. After all, what good would it do to get into it with Alastor?

This was something Angel could do without.

Not only had Valentino beat him within an inch of his life tonight, but the damn moth had also made him late in returning to the hotel. Charlie always forgave Angel for his occasional tardiness, but with the way Valentino had been taking his frustration out on the spider lately, even Charlie’s kindness had its limits. Angel sighed, sliding into his room, forcing himself not to slam the door open as he dragged his bruised body into the space. Fat Nuggets was asleep on the middle of Angel’s bed, clearly having tried to stay awake to wait for his parent. The sight cause Angel’s chest to ache slightly, and he gently pet the pig, not wanting to wake him.

Angel left his son alone, wincing as he stripped himself out of the skimpy dress Valentino had forced him to wear for the evening, not that the dress could ever be worn again. Angel sighed heavily as he looked at the torn and bloody fabric; he knew it had been a trick when Valentino had allowed him to buy such a nice dress, but he hadn’t expected this. Angel dropped the remnants to the floor, inspecting his wounds in the mirror, twisting and bending as much as his body would allow.

No bruises or marks to his face this time, as Valentino wanted him for filming tomorrow. No, all the marks were to places that could be covered up and Angel winced as he touched the wounds in his back, where Valentino had stomped his heel into the spider. As if kicking him in the gut hadn’t been enough, and the moth had even tried to break Angel’s arm when the spider dared to try and protect himself.

“Fuck, this shit sucks.” Angel complained, sitting down heavily at his desk, covering his face with two of his hands as he got work bandaging himself with the other pair. He loved his work and all the sex it entailed, but this…this he couldn’t deal with. The abuse. The torture. And at the end of it all, Valentino would merely go on about how much he “loved” the spider and how this was “for his own good.” Yea, fuck that shit: more like he was pissed VOX had broken up with him for like the 100th time and he was taking that frustration out on Angel as usual.

“Learn to close your fucking door.” Angel looked up as Husk walked by, dragging a bottle of booze on the ground beside himself as he shuffled off back to his room. Angel flicked off the empty doorway, annoyed by the cat. Well, Husk wasn’t the one who just got the shit beat out of him, was he? Angel finished bandaging himself and stood to close his room door and as he looked out into the hallway, he was struck by another thought.

“Fuck, did I close the _front door_?” Angel quickly dashed into his room, throwing on a large shirt as he ran back down to the first floor. The _last_ thing he needed was for Vaggie to get on his ass for leaving the door open again and he knew it would only make Charlie harder to win over. He was already skating on thin ice, and he didn’t need to make it any thinner. As Angel walked briskly through the lobby, he was surprised to see that the door was already closed and his heart pounded with worry. Who closed it? Surely not Husk; he had never closed it any of the other times Angel had left in open. Niffty usually wasn’t concerned unless something came in the door and Charlie and Vaggie rarely woke up in the middle of the night. Meaning…

“If you’ve come back to fix your apparent error, don’t bother.” Angel groaned internally as he heard Alastor’s voice behind him, closing his eyes. _Fan-fucking-tastic._ The spider slowly turned around to see the radio demon standing outside his office, giving the spider an annoyed smile. “I have already corrected it for you.”

“I would say thanks but-”

“I don’t want it anyway.” Alastor interrupted, and Angel sighed, holding himself tightly as the radio demon began to walk toward him. Another Overlord was the last thing he wanted to deal with tonight, but at least this time it was his own negligence that had gotten him into trouble. Alastor stopped just outside of reaching distance, not that Angel was in a mood to try anyway. “Do I _want_ to know why you were out past curfew again?”

“Valentino had me stay late entertaining a customer.” Angel lied, holding his hand over his bandaged arm to hide it from Alastor. Better if he thought it was just work; Angel didn’t even want Alastor’s attention right now, much less his pity. “Can’t say no when it’s the boss.”

“Then perhaps Valentino should be more respectful of your curfew here, considering you haven’t been on time _at all_ in the past week.” Alastor reminded the spider and Angel flinched at the sharp tone in the radio demon’s voice. Angel fought the urge to spit something back, swallowing his rising frustration and anger. After all, what good would it do to get into it with Alastor? Alastor wasn’t the one Angel was angry and frustrated with and so Angel remained silent as the radio demon continued. “Otherwise, one might get the notion that _you_ don’t care either.”

“What the fuck does it matter if _I_ care?” Angel spat, unable to help his tone as the words flew from his mouth. He flinched again as Alastor raised his eyebrow, his annoyed smile quickly shifting into something far more dangerous. Angel looked away again, not wanting to meet Alastor’s gaze. “ What I care about doesn’t fucking matter.”

“Oh? And what is it you care about, Angel? Besides getting laid?” Alastor cooed, his voice breaking and crackling with static. Angel sighed, releasing his arm so that the radio demon could see his bandage. If Alastor was gonna be like this, then fine, Angel would show why he was _really_ back so late. He lifted his shirt, allowing Alastor to also see the haphazard wrapping he had placed on his back wounds, as well as all the bruises to his side and stomach.

“Not getting beat within an inch of my life would be nice.” The spider muttered, dropping his shirt as he looked up to see Alastor’s face. The dark expression had faded, replaced with one of confusion. Angel wasn’t so sure what was confusing and he started to match the radio demon’s expression as Alastor motioned him into his office. “Al, I’d rather-”

“In this instance Angel, I don’t care what you prefer.” Alastor replied sharply, turning to look over his shoulder as he paused in the doorway. Angel felt his heart pound at the look the radio demon was giving him and he merely nodded, following after Alastor as he closed the office door behind himself. Alastor motioned the spider to the desk and Angel quietly obeyed, wincing at the pain it caused as he sat on the piece of furniture. The demon quickly closed his eyes again as he felt Alastor touch his shirt to lift it and he couldn’t help the awkward feeling that began to fill him. Why was Alastor so interested? The radio demon had never cared before, and Angel couldn’t begin to fathom why he cared now. “Take this off, that wound of yours needs to be bandaged properly.”

“Okay. Thanks.” Was all Angel could say as he lifted the shirt over his head, leaving himself mostly naked on the radio demon’s desk. He kept his eyes closed, lest opening them offend Alastor as the demon set to work, removing Angel’s quick bandage as he expertly began to clean the wound, a hiss of pain escaping the spider as he touched where the moth’s heel had broken his skin.

“Did the client do this to you, or Valentino?” Alastor’s smooth voice came from behind Angel, and he chanced opening his eyes, looking to the floor as the radio continued cleaning his wounds.

“Val. VOX broke up with him again, so he’s…upset.” Angel flinched again, letting out a slight groan of pain as Alastor removed something from one of the imprints. Fuck, is _that_ why it still hurt so much? As much as Angel hated to admit it, it probably was a good idea to let someone else help him clean up his wounds. “I’m usually the punching bag when they break up, but he’s been really upset this time.”

“I see.” Was Alastor’s only reply, and the pair sank back into an awkward silence as Alastor continued checking the spider’s wounds, cleaning and removing pieces of Valentino’s heel from the spider’s skin. Angel did his best to remain still, not able to help the grunts and gasps of pain from each touch the Overlord made. Alastor seemed absorbed in his work, not even pausing to look at Angel as he walked past him to retrieved new bandages from the first aid kit the spider didn’t know he had. Angel winced again as Alastor wrapped him back up, this time ensuring the bandages were securely in place before tearing the roll, tucking the end into a former layer.

“Uh, thanks, Al. ‘Preciate it.” Angel quickly hopped off the desk, sliding his shirt back on as Alastor finished. The radio demon was giving him a blank smile and the spider knew it was his cue to leave. “I’ll uh, see you tomorrow.”

“Good night Angel.” Alastor slid back into his chair, casually placing the bandages on the corner of his desk as he went back to his many papers. Angel sighed, putting his hand on the handle to leave when he heard Alastor’s voice again. “And next time, don’t try to dress wounds like that yourself. Come to me and I’ll do it for you, without telling the girls.”

“Okay. Thanks…Al.” Angel quickly slipped out of the room, his heart pounding at the radio demon’s words. What…why was Alastor being so nice? Did something about Angel’s wounds bother him? Angel knew that Alastor didn’t like abusers very much, he had said himself that people who beat other to make themselves feel better were lower than cattle. Maybe that was why?

“Fuck, now I owe him.” Angel lamented, making his way back to his room on the top floor. A debt to another Overlord: just what the spider fucking needed.


	3. My Worry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alastor sipped on his drink, constantly fighting the frown that wanted to replace his smile. No, the spider’s injuries were nothing more than a coincidence.

A coincidence. That’s all it was. All it _could_ be.

At least that what Alastor was still telling himself as he sat at the bar the next morning, enjoying his morning Shanty with whiskey instead of beer. Husk was watching the radio demon curiously, having picked up on the fact that something was wrong, but the cat knew better than to say anything. Alastor sipped on his drink, constantly fighting the frown that wanted to replace his smile. No, the spider’s injuries were nothing more than a coincidence.

Alastor had been annoyed when he first heard Angel running down the stairs and for a moment, he considered letting the spider worry about who had closed the door for the rest of the night. After some consideration however, he decided he’d rather reprimand the spider without the girls being present, so he forced himself to confront Angel. He was shocked when Angel revealed his wounds to the radio demon and Alastor immediately connected them to the pain that had awoken him. Two large bruises to the midsection, numerous stomps to the back and two large swollen contusions on the spider’s left arm…similar to the phantom pains that had plagued the demon and woke him up in the middle of the night.

It was some sort of strange autopilot that had caused him to take care of the spider’s wounds, and he had to admit, his blood boiled as Angel admitted that it was Valentino who was responsible for Angel’s tardiness as well as the spider’s injuries. It didn’t surprise Alastor that Val was an abuser, but it still made his anger erupt as he thought about the abuse Angel had been subjected to. If they were connected, it would explain the nightly pains that had woken Alastor up for the past week… ** _No._** The two _could not_ be connected: it was merely a _coincidence._

“You alright, Al?” Husk finally spoke, putting down the glass he had in his hand as he sighed. The radio demon closed his eyes, taking another sip of his drink. Guess the cat _didn’t_ know better than to ask. “You ain’t usually this quiet in the morning.”

“Another restless night, Husk. That is all.” Alastor replied curtly, opening his eyes slightly as he smiled at the cat. Husk sighed heavily, leaning down to place the glass under the counter. He stood back up as he faced the Overlord, crossing his arms across his chest. Alastor tilted his head, slightly surprised by Husk’s attitude.

“Al, I haven’t said anything ‘cause I know you don’t wanna think about it, but you know that you’re probably So-”

“Nonsense, Husker dear.” Alastor’s smile grew dangerous as he interrupted the cat demon. He didn’t want to even _hear_ the word, lest he be forced to actually consider the possibility. Husk sighed heavily again, frowning as he watched Alastor drink.

“I know ya hate it, but you can’t stop it from happening and you can’t break it unless you bother to figure out who it is.” Husk pointed out, using one of his claws to push Alastor’s drink back down to the bar. If anyone else had dared to _attempt_ such a thing, they would’ve been dead before the glass could touch the counter, but Husk had a pass with Alastor, having been by the radio demon’s side the longest. Alastor growled as he looked into the cat’s eyes, and Husk met his gaze evenly, before leaning back. “You know who it is, don’t you?”

“I-”

“Yeah, yeah, morning to ya too.” Alastor stiffened in his seat as he heard Angel make his way down the stairs, walking up to the bar to collapse against it. Angel was wearing more clothing this morning, covering up all of his bruises and bandages nicely, although he loosely rubbed the one on his left arm. Alastor continued quietly slipping his drink, pretending not to notice the spider and Angel afforded him the same courtesy, ignoring the Overlord to order his usual morning drink of a Screwdriver. Husk slid the drink over, muttering under his breath about Angel be a slob and the spider hissed, snatching his drink from the bar. “Yea, fuck you too, Husk.”

“Hey, you’re the one who left your door wide open while you were butt ass naked-”

“I was _not_ naked!” Angel shot back, angrily taking a gulp out his drink. “If you hadn’t been fucking hammered, you would’ve been able to fucking see that.”

“Well, maybe if you weren’t such a _slut, I_ wouldn’t assu-”

“Angel?” Alastor sighed with relief as the princess and her girlfriend arrived, interrupting Husk and Angel’s back and forth. The spider groaned as the couple walked up to him, and Alastor closed his eyes, still pretending to ignore the company around him. Charlie sounded worried, and he could hear as she walked up to the promiscuous spider. “You…were late again last night. What happened, you’ve been late every night lately.”

“Val had me stay late with a customer.” Angel sighed, feeding the same lie to Charlie that he had told Alastor the night before and Alastor glanced over slightly as Vaggie stomped up to Angel, poking him in the chest. The spider did his best not to show the pain on his face, although his eyes narrowed at the moth. “I came back as soon as I was done.”

“ _Yeah_ , that’s the same _fucking_ excuse you’ve given every night for the last week!” Vaggie exclaimed, narrowing her eyes at Angel as she poked his chest again. Angel did his best not to flinch, shoving Vaggie’s hand away from him. Alastor could see from the slight pain in his expression that the moth had managed to poke one of his bruises, but the radio demon remained silent, waiting to see where the conversation would go. Alastor was starting to grow annoyed with Vaggie’s insistence, but he didn’t want to step in unless he had to. “You expect us to believe that same lame excuse _?_ ”

“Yea and what of it? You got a better one?” Angel shot back, taking a sip from his drink as he leaned back against the bar. Alastor could see that he was trying to act relaxed, but he was purposefully avoiding where he had been injured, leaning down way more than he needed to in order to avoid agitating his wounds. Something only the radio demon was capable of noticing, considering the way Vaggie continued her accusations.

“You are _stupid_ if you think we’re gonna keep falling for that.” Vaggie hissed, once again getting up in Angel’s face. Charlie tried to reach out to the moth, but Vaggie shrugged her off. “No, Charlie, we can’t keep let him try to use Val as an excuse. We’re supposed to believe that Val _suddenly_ has been having him stay late every night?”

“So what if he has? It’s not like I can tell him no. He fucking **_owns_ **me.” Angel shot back, nearly breaking his glass as he slammed it back on the counter with one of his lower hands, standing to his full height to tower over Vaggie. Even Husk was now watching the exchange curiously and the cat chanced a glance at Alastor. The radio demon closed his eyes, maintaining his tight smile as his annoyance grew. Why couldn’t they take this squabble _away_ from him? “Val could tell me to never come here again and I would have no fucking choice other than to say ‘ _Yes, Daddy._ ’ So fucking be happy he lets me come back at all.”

“Angel, please, we’re just worried.” Alastor turned slightly as Charlie stepped in before Vaggie could say anything more, calmly placing her hand on her girlfriend’s shoulder. Vaggie was giving Charlie an annoyed look, to which Charlie smiled weakly at. The princess then turned to Angel, who had sat back down at the bar and had his back to the girls. “Is something wrong?”

“Other than I’m tired of being attacked for shit that ain’t my fault?” The spider spat and Alastor finally sighed, turning fully to look at Angel and the girls. He smiled brightly, standing up from the bar as he twirled his microphone. Angel glanced up to look at the radio demon, but Alastor purposefully avoided the spider’s gaze as he walked past him. He started to leave the bar, tired of the exchange and honestly he didn’t care how it turned out. Whether or not Angel remained at the hotel was none of his concern and he didn’t want to listen to their argument any longer.

Until he heard the glass shatter behind him and felt as hot pain ran through his right hand.

Alastor paused, turning to see that Angel has holding his hand tightly, cursing at Husk who had tried to take away his drink. The glass lay shattered on the surface, the Screwdriver and the spider’s blood dripping down the counter and pooling on the floor. Alastor’s own hand pulsed with pain as he watched Husk threaten the spider and Angel stood from the bar, clutching his bleeding appendage.

“Fuck all of you, I don’t fucking need this. Just tell me if I can come back here or not.” With that Angel stomped off from the bar, walking towards the frozen radio demon. He passed by him silently, and Alastor kept his eyes glued on the dripping blood on the counter. His hand…had began to hurt at the exact moment Angel had cut himself on the glass. _At the **Exact. Moment**. _

_**Fuck**._

_Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfu-_

“Alastor?” Charlie called out to the Overlord and Alastor shook his head, smiling brightly down at the demon princess. He nodded his head and left, making his way to the safety of his office. Once he was behind the closed door, Alastor clutched his throbbing hand tightly. There was no way he could deny it now: the spider’s latest injury proved the connection. Alastor began a nasty laugh as he brought his hand to his face, pushing himself off the door. He walked over to his floor length mirror, flicking his hand toward the reflective surface.

An image of the spider rippled across the mirror, showing Angel as he attempted to bandage his wounded hand, cursing as tears ran down his cheeks. As soon as he was done, the spider threw himself into his pillows, clutching one tightly to his chest. Alastor watched curiously as Angel’s pet, the little pig, jumped up beside his Master and Angel reached out to the creature, petting it gently. He hiccupped with his tears, pulling the tiny creature close to his chest as he cried. 

“Daddy might have fucked up big time, Nugs.” Alastor heard Angel whisper, and he dismissed the vision, sliding into his chair as he stared at the far wall. He had felt nothing while watching the spider, meaning no emotions were being shared, but it was only a matter of time. The radio demon was once again tied to another soul in the way he hated the most, sharing in their pain and emotions through a bond he had never asked for.

Alastor…was Soulbound.


	4. My Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Wait.” Alastor’s eyes widen in realization, his smile once again beginning to spread on his face as he considered this new idea. That’s right: Charlie wanted Angel alive.

Alastor sat is his chair for a long time, staring silently at the wall for what seemed like hours. His mind was a swarm of chaotic thoughts and his eyes merely glared at the blank spot as he tried to settle his rising concern. Charlie had tried to come by his office, but he had sent her away, saying they would talk later in the day. Right now, the radio demon had greater personal concerns and he had no time for the princess’ silly whims.

_Soulbound._ The word Alastor hated more than anything and the most useless connection that could have existed in the Afterlife. The radio demon had been Soulbound many times during his stay in Hell, and it typically never went well for the ones he was bonded with. If Alastor discovered the connection early enough, he would merely kill the individual he was bonded to, severing the connection before it could bother him. In times like now, when the connection was already established, he would merely ignore it, allowing the bond to fade and the other party to be bonded to someone else over time, freeing Alastor from its effects. 

“No good…” Alastor finally spoke, standing up from his desk. He could not simply ignore it this time, not with the way Valentino was beating Angel, but at the same time, the radio demon had no desire to maintain such a bond with the spider. Indeed, Angel was the _worse_ demon he could have been bonded with, given his promiscuous nature. Alastor shuddered as considered being able to _feel_ the spider pleasing his customers, or worse, _being_ pleased by them.

“I need…to do something.” Alastor muttered, pacing across the room as he considered his options. He could try and trap Angel at the Hotel: as Charlie’s business partner certainly he could suggest such a thing without it seeming strange. That would allow him to keep the spider away from Valentino while the connection faded and no one would be any wiser….but would Charlie allow it? Angel had professed before how much he enjoyed his work and even Alastor wasn’t sure if simply requiring him not to leave would keep Valentino from coming after him. After all, the Moth did own Angel’s soul, even if it was bonded to Alastor’s.

“Could I…take him from Valentino?” Alastor mused, pausing in his stride as he considered the option. Surely there must be a way for him to obtain the Angel’s contract from Valentino, therefore once again opening the option for him to allow the connection to fade while keeping the spider from the Moth. This would require him to confront Valentino however, and there was no guarantee that Valentino would be willing to let Angel go. After all, the moth seemed quite attached to his little money maker and Alastor knew he couldn’t kill Valentino in a fair fight, nor did he have a desire to engage in unnecessary combat. If he was willing to entertain the bond, eventually it would override any claim Valentino had to Angel, but that was _not an option._ “Hmmm.”

Alastor walked over the mirror again, summoning the image of the spider. Angel had dragged himself up from the bed, and it was obvious that he was getting ready to head to the Studios for the afternoon. The spider was checking his bandages, debating if he should try and remove them before facing Valentino. Alastor need a plan, and he needed one before Angel left for the day but what could he do? _What else was there?_ Alastor gripped his mic tightly as he growled, watching as Angel began to remove the bandages on his arm. If only he could just _kill_ the spider….

“No, it’s too late for that.” Alastor growled, sitting down heavily at his desk as he continued to stare at the mirror. Even if he had discovered the connection early enough, killing the property of another Overlord would only cause him problems he didn’t want to deal with again, not to mention that Charlie had her own interests with keeping Angel alive. The aftermath of killing Angel would be more annoying than if he just _protected_ the damn idiot…

“Wait.” Alastor’s eyes widen in realization, his smile once again beginning to spread on his face as he considered this new idea. That’s right: Charlie _wanted_ Angel alive and given the way Valentino beat Angel, surely Alastor could convince Charlie that Valentino _might_ kill him if the beatings continued. If he could talk her into letting him accompany the spider to the Studios, Valentino would have no choice but to hold back if he knew that Alastor was protecting Angel for the Princess. He would merely seem as if he were protecting the Hotel’s interests, something he had already assured Charlie he would do and it made sense as the Princess’ business partner. All he had to do was make the princess aware of the beatings, and he would have his excuse.

“Hmm, Charlie?” Alastor quickly picked up the rotary phone on his desk, not bothering to type in a number. He tapped his desk impatiently, becoming excited when he heard the princess’ voice on the other side.

“Hmm? Alastor? When did you get a Hell phone?”

“Oh, no, dearie I’m using my desk phone.” Alastor corrected her, wincing that she would dare suggest he would use such a device. Something for simpletons and lazy individuals who preferred convenience over style and quality and Alastor would _never_ stoop so low. “I have a proposition to discuss with you concerning our hotel’s guest.”

“Oh, you mean Angel? Yea, I’ll be right there.” Alastor grinned as he hung up the phone, impatiently tapping his sharp gloves on the wood. Soon he heard the princess’ knock and his smile grew as he called her in. Charlie carefully slid into the office, closing the door quietly behind her before walking up to the radio demon. Alastor gently motioned her to sit in the chair he manifested for her and Charlie sat down cautiously. Once she had determined that the chair was solid, she returned her attention to Alastor.

“So uh, you had an idea about what to do about Angel?” Charlie offered and Alastor nodded, dismissing the image of the spider on the mirror behind her. The princess was oblivious, waiting patiently for the Overlord to speak as he returned his attention to her. “Honestly, I’m at a lost. I want to believe he’s not staying out late on purpose, but I mean it hard not to think that maybe-”

“Are you aware, that Valentino is abusing our patron, and that’s the true reason for his tardiness?” Alastor offered and the shocked and horrified expression that graced Charlie’s rosy face answered the question for the radio demon. Alastor hummed thoughtfully as Charlie stood, slamming her hands on Alastor’s desk. Her horns started to peak through her hair and she fought to keep from slipping into her demonic form.

“ _WHAT?!_ Why didn’t Angel just say so? Valentino can’t do that! If he’s the reason Angel’s been late every night, then at this rate he’ll kill him!” Charlie exclaimed and Alastor raised his hand, stopping the princess before she could continue.

“Surely Angel is trying to protect himself. I would imagine Valentino would not react well if he told us the truth.” Alastor offered, smiling as he waved Charlie back into her chair. The princess slowly sat back down, her frown still glued to her face. Alastor had to admit, he did _enjoy_ seeing Charlie upset and as much as he saw her as a silly child, she was a silly child with strong convictions. “I am only aware of the beatings because I…managed to see him last night when he arrived back to the hotel. I assure you, his wounds were quite major.”

“Then we can’t just keep sending him back to Val.” Charlie fumed, and Alastor nodded, signaling his agreement. The princess leaned back in her chair, looking away thoughtfully as the radio demon waited for her to continue. “But Angel can’t just quit his job, he did say he does enjoy it…”

“Yes, as Angel is still our only patron, we cannot afford to lose him.” Alastor leaned forward, ready to lay down his proposal. “Which is why I suggest, let me accompany him to the Studios tonight. Surely Valentino will be more… _understanding_ if I make him aware of your wishes, no?”

“What do you mean?” Charlie queried and Alastor sighed heavily, fighting to maintain his smile. Dammit, he didn’t expect her to be _this_ thick. “How would you going with him change anything?”

“Think of me as a visual reminder of who is protecting Angel to Valentino. Remember, as _your_ patron, he is under the protection of both the Overlord of Evil and the Princess of Hell.” Alastor spelled out his idea to Charlie, opening his hands to show his point. He needed to convince her quickly, as Angel would be leaving soon. He would _not_ risk the spider reaching Valentino before he could intervene. “Surely if he were gently reminded of this, he will withhold his aggression. At the moment, he has been getting away with doing whatever he wants without any repercussions from us.”

“So, a power flex.” Charlie mused and Alastor nodded, standing as he slid around his desk to stand behind the princess. “Something to remind Valentino who really carries the power.”

“Yes. After all, Angel doesn’t know it, but _you_ hold all the cards. That’s why Valentino has allowed you to have our little friend participate in your project, lest he lose his little money maker.” Alastor reminded Charlie, gripping the princess’ shoulders tightly. He needed a yes _now._ “Let’s remind Valentino who really has the power here, Charlotte. This is _Hell_ after all, and sometimes you have to play by the aggressor’s rules.”

Charlie was silent for a moment and Alastor could hear his heart pounding in his chest. It was likely that Angel had already left the Hotel and was on his way to the Studios, and the radio demon would have to move quickly to catch him. If Charlie didn’t agree soon, he would have to just leave on his own…

“Sure, let’s do it.” Charlie agreed, smiling up at Alastor and the radio demon beamed as he released her, stepping back from her chair and snapping his fingers to cause the chair to disappear. He laughed loudly as the princess fell, delighting in the annoyed look she gave him as she stood from the floor. Alastor swept her an elaborate bow, looking up to meet her gaze.

“Well, I will be taking my leave now, as I believe Angel has already left the premises.” Alastor beamed as he slowly sunk into the floor, determined to catch the spider before he could reach the Studios. He closed his eyes as he stood up straight, nodding to the princess. “I assume you know how to see your way out.”

With that, Alastor completely vanished into his shadow, quickly chasing after Angel.


	5. Your Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angel hugged himself tighter as he stepped into Valentino’s territory, almost able to feel the Moth’s claws on him as soon as he crossed the border.

Angel sulked as he walked down the streets in the warm afternoon, trying to ignore the looks from the demons around him. Val hadn’t given him any sort of outfit requests, so Angel had opted to wear comfortable clothing, something that would allow him to hide any new marks Val would be sending him back to the Hotel with. No one had come up to his room to tell him to pack his things, so Angel _assumed_ he was going to be allowed back, even as he knew that he was going to be late again.

“Probably going to be waiting for me tonight.” Angel lamented, holding his bruised arm gently. The swelling had gone down thank to the bandage, and although he could still make out the marks from where Valentino had tried to break it, they were slight enough that he _should_ be able to cover them up with makeup. No doubt the moth had an outfit planned for the shoot that would cover up any major wounds, and Val would be none the wiser than Angel had left the bandage around his midsection alone. He wasn’t sure if he could re-wrap it as well as Alastor had, and despite the radio demon’s offer, he really didn’t want to have to take him up on it.

“Fuck, this sucks.” Angel muttered, quickly using one of his lower arms to smack away the hand of someone who reached out to touch him. He was not in the mood to deal with assholes right now and he had no desire to entertain the notion of being late to the Studios. No sense in giving Valentino an actual reason to beat him, not that it really mattered. Unless VOX and Val had made up, which was possible, but unlikely, the moth was still going to be in a foul mood and still going to take it out on Angel. Hell, it was possible that he didn’t even want Angel for filming today, and just planned to have someone else do the beating. Wouldn’t be the first time.

Angel hugged himself tighter as he stepped into Valentino’s territory, almost able to feel the Moth’s claws on him as soon as he crossed the border. As much as Angel did like it at the Hotel, he knew Valentino’s grasp was not one he could escape. He fought back in his own small ways, enjoying his short-lived and meaningless victories when he could, but at the end of it all, he knew where he belonged. The pit that he had allowed himself to be chained to and with walls so high than Angel could never hope to climb out. Sure, Charlie lifted him out and gave him a vision of a life without the Moth, but just as Angel would start to sink into that dream, the chain around his neck would be yanked and he’d be dragged back to the bottomless abyss.

“All for what?” Angel spat, growing angry with himself. He had been so stupid, so naïve when he first woke up in Hell and had fallen right into the Moth’s trap. Angel had been so alone, so afraid and so desperate for a connection that he willingly agreed to give his soul away to Valentino, not considering what he was _actually_ doing. To be fair, Val had seemed different back when Angel first met the moth: at least he put more of an effort to pretending he cared back then. With the way he told Angel that he still loved him, maybe in his own, twisted way, Val _did_ still care about Angel, but if this was the way Val showed his love, Angel no longer wanted it.

“Ah, you are quite fast indeed, little spider.” Angel stopped mid stride as he heard the familiar voice and he quickly looked around, not spotting the voice’s source. Demons walked around him, some sneering as he quickly looked around everywhere, trying to spot the radio amongst the other demons walking down the street. Alastor cleared his throat, causing Angel to look down just as the radio demon manifested from the shadow at the spider’s feet and Angel stepped back out of shock, almost falling to the ground. He recovered however, standing just out of arms reach of Alastor, who was now brushing off his jacket.

“Al-Alastor?” Angel managed to stammer out and Alastor smiled, tilting his head at a painful angle that made Angel’s own neck hurt just looking at him. The radio demon’s smile was bright and the spider had a bad feeling about the Overlord’s intentions. “Wh-why are you here?”

“Why, I am here to protect my investment!” Alastor exclaimed, walking up to Angel and placing his hand on the spider’s back, began to push Angel along as he started walking down the street. A few demons paused to watch at the pair but Alastor carried on unbothered by the stares his actions were attracting. He raised his other hand high in the air, motioning to the Porn Studios building that loomed above the rest. “Come along now, you shouldn’t be late to work like you are coming home!”

“Protect your investment?” Angel chuckled awkwardly, leaning up and away from Alastor’s hand. The radio demon had been avoiding his wounds, something which Angel appreciated after Vaggie poking the ones on his chest earlier, but he was still skeptical of Alastor’s sudden arrival. Alastor had never care before about the spider’s business outside the Hotel, why would he start now? “What the Hell does that mean?”

“Well, I spoke to Miss Charlotte and we both agreed we can’t have you coming home late anymore!” Alastor revealed, still smiling brightly as they walked by the street, the radio demon summoning his mic to twirl in his hand. He chuckled to himself, causally knocking away a smaller demon as they passed them and Angel winced at the senseless violence. “So, I am here to make sure Valentino releases you on time tonight!”

“Uh, Al, I appreciate the thought, bu-”

“Ah, ah, ah! No buts, Angel my dear!” Alastor interrupted him, quickly placing his microphone against the spider’s lips to stop his speech. Angel paused, looking down to the shorter demon as Alastor also stopped walking, throwing his head back to look up at the spider. The radio demon’s eyes had began to glow softly and Angel had to swallow his heart back down from his throat. _Fuck,_ sometimes Alastor’s theatrics were _terrifying._ He may not have been familiar with Alastor’s activities before meeting him at the Hotel, but after spending some time with the Overlord, he could definitely see how others feared him. “I did say I would protect the Hotel’s interests and those include _you._

“Besides, my effeminate fellow, I’m not here to _do_ anything.” Alastor revealed, standing up straight as he pulled his microphone away and began walking down the street again. Angel followed behind slowly, curious to see what the radio demon would say. “I’m merely here to accompany you and to ensure that you leave on time tonight.”

“Yea…okay…” Angel replied weakly, and he gripped himself tightly as he followed behind the Overlord. There was no way in Hell this was gonna go over well with Val but given how the moth had been the past few days, Angel almost didn’t mind Alastor tagging along. It wasn’t as if the radio demon cared: as he had said, he was just protecting what he viewed as one of the Hotel’s assets and Angel had to admit it hurt that Alastor also saw him as less than person. The spider fought the desire to frown, trying to maintain his strained smile as Alastor glanced back at him. It would be nice if someone other than Charlie and Cherri saw him as more than just property.

“Although,” Alastor began, and although his voice still sounded bright and cheerful, Angel could detect a hint of anger in the radio demon’s words. Alastor’s smile widened, and turned away from the spider again, leaving Angel to stare at his back. “I can’t say that I _won’t do something_ if Valentino gives me a reason. I have mentioned before that I _despise_ fools who prey on those who can’t fight back.”

“I fight back, in my own way.” Angel muttered, scowling softly as he looked down at the pavement. Sure, it was meaningless and never changed anything, but he wasn’t _that_ helpless. He looked back up as Alastor laughed, the radio demons throwing his hands high in the air with his mirth.

“I have no doubt you do, my dear, but perhaps you need _another_ in your corner. Someone who can help you _win._ ” Alastor’s smile grew devious and Angel knew what the Overlord was offering. A deal, a way to be free of Val forever and to never have to subject himself to the moth again. Considering everything lately, Angel had to admit: he was _tempted._ He knew making a deal with Alastor would probably be no better than his contract with Val, but at least Alastor wouldn’t abuse him. Hell, even if all the radio demon did was _kill_ him, that was still better than dealing with the moth, right?

“Maybe.” Was all the only answer Angel could muster and he smiled weakly as the radio chuckled, walking up the steps to the Studios as they arrived outside the large double doors. Alastor paused in front of them, waiting for Angel to join him on the steps. As the spider climbed up to the lair of his tormentor, chancing one last look at Alastor as he pushed the doors open, Angel did have to admit:

It was nice knowing he wouldn’t be alone tonight.


	6. Your Protection

Angel stepped inside the Studios, wincing as he saw Valentino leaning against the reception desk waiting for him. Given by the Moth’s expression, there was no chance he had made up with Vox yet: if anything it seemed that Val was _more_ upset. The moth wasn’t wearing his traditional robe, instead opting for a red pants suit, his black tie loose around his neck. He scowled as the spider stepped in, even as Angel tried to pretend he didn’t see the Overlord.

“You’re late, Angel cakes.” Valentino hissed, roughly grabbing the spider as Angel tried to walk by and pulling him close. Angel did his best not to flinch and forced a smile, closing his eyes as he faced the angry pimp. Val reached behind the spider, digging his hand into the wounds in Angel’s back and forcing Angel to wince from the pain that ran along his spine. The imprints still hurt like hell, and Val knew it, digging his fingers deeper into Angel’s skin. “I thought I told you to be on ti-.”

“ _I think_ ,” Angel quickly found himself pulled away from Valentino, now loosely being held in one of Alastor’s tentacles as he was lifted back to the radio demon’s side. Alastor was smiling and to an untrained eye, Alastor seemed happy and unbothered, but Angel knew that this was the most dangerous smile the radio demon had. Valentino scowled as Alastor released Angel, the radio demon gently placing the spider down on the floor beside him. He allowed the tentacle to sink back into the floor behind them, still beaming his dangerous smile at the Moth. “That is enough, Valentino. I made Angel late, although I would think two minutes is more than forgivable considering how late you have been sending him back to the Hotel.”

“Why are you here, Alastor?” Valentino spat, shifting his glare over to Angel as the spider quickly looked away, holding himself. He heard as Alastor whistled, twirling his mic as he stepped forward in front of Angel, forcing the moth to look at him instead. Angel glanced down at Alastor’s back, surprised to see that the radio demon had one of his hands behind him and was giving the spider a thumbs up. _Fuck, Alastor was weird._ “I don’t remember asking for Angel to be escorted to work.”

“Why, I am merely here to make sure Angel leaves on time tonight.” Alastor repeated to Valentino, tilting his head as he continued smiling. Angel wanted to tell Alastor to stop, as the growing anger on Val’s face was only spelling more pain for the spider but he knew this was beyond him at this point. This was between Overlords, and as usual, he was just a victim caught in the middle. “Charlie is quite tired of you _interfering_ with her project by keeping Angel late. Quite rude, I never would have dreamed that a man of business like yourself would do such a thing.”

“You-”

“ _I am here,_ ” Alastor interrupted the Overlord, causally sauntering up to him and Angel felt his heart pound as Alastor tapped his mic against the moth. The spider couldn’t see the radio demon’s expression but given by the way Val scowled down at the shorter Overlord, it a challenging one. “To ensure that Angel is returned to us _on time_ from now on. Surely that isn’t so much to ask, now is it?”

“You and that fucking princess don’t have a right to-”

“Oh, but I think we _do_ , _Valentino._ ” Alastor chuckled, using his mic to flick Valentino’s tie. The moth scowled and Angel watched on confused as Alastor withdrew from the Overlord. _Wait_ , was there something else going on that he didn’t know about? As far as he knew, Valentino had only agreed to Angel staying at the Hotel because he liked the idea of watching Angel fail, not vastly different from Alastor’s own motivations in helping. But the way the Alastor spoke and Val’s frustrated glare seemed to hint that perhaps Charlie held more power in the arrangement than Angel had realized. She _was_ the princess after, so perhaps there was something there he wasn’t aware of? A secret agreement between Val and Charlie?

“Why are you still standing there?” Valentino finally barked, turning his glare back to Angel. Angel flinched, holding himself tightly as Val continued. “Go get fucking dressed. I expect to see you on the floor in thirty minutes.”

“Yes, Mista’ Valentino~” Angel forced his smile, doing his best to saunter through the lobby as he quickly left. As soon as he was on the other side of the door, he paused, leaning against it in hopes of hearing what the Overlords would say. He heard as Valentino stood up from the receptionist counter and he could imagine the Moth forcing a grin, leaning down over the shorter Overlord.

“You win this round, Alastor, but Angel is _mine._ ” Valentino reiterated, and Angel felt his heart constrict in his chest. Alastor chuckled as this, seemingly unbothered by the moth’s threat. “I don’t know what you and that princess are up too, but at the end of the day, Angel will _always_ come back to me.”

“I couldn’t care less, Valentino.” Alastor offered and Angel could imagine that dangerous smile on the radio’s face. It truly was terrifying to Angel how good the radio demon was at hiding his true emotions; without knowledge of how Alastor could be, all of his smiles looked the same and naïve demons would fail to read the subtle differences that revealed whether Alastor was playful, or angry. “As I said, I’m merely here to make sure Angel comes back on time. A curfew is useless if ignored.”

“And if he’s done early? You’re just gonna whisk him back to that joke of yours?” Val warned and the radio demon chuckled. Angel jumped as he heard Val tap the floor with his cane, the Moth clearly trying to intimidate his fellow Overlord. “Am I not allowed to _play_ with my toys?”

“You may do whatever you like with your _toys._ ” Alastor smartly replied and Angel felt his heart sink at the radio demon’s words. Alastor chuckled, seemly pausing from dramatic effect before continuing. “However, Angel is not a toy. He is a guest at _my_ Hotel, and I intend to protect _my guests,_ even from their employers.”

Angel leaned away from the door, surprised as silence filled the lobby. Guest: Alastor had referred to him as a guest, not an asset as he had on the walk over. Was he just trying to make a point to Valentino, or…maybe Alastor did see him as a person? The spider shook his head as he sighed, leaning back against the door as Valentino began to speak again.

“Since when have you cared about anything Alastor?”

“Why, since I decided to alleviate my boredom by helping the Princess! My work needed a change of pace!” Alastor cheerfully replied. “I do take my work quite seriously Valentino, something you should remember _very well._ ”

_Remember?_ Did the two Overlords also have a past Angel was unaware of? The more Angel heard, the more confused he became about the whole situation. Did he really know anything about what was going on anymore?

“And where would you like to wait, _Alastor?_ ” Valentino spat each syllable of the radio demon’s name as if it hurt him to say it and Angel heard Alastor hum thoughtfully, before hearing the end of the radio demon’s microphone tap the floor as Alastor began to walk away from Valentino. “I can have room prepared for you until the spider is done.”

“I do appreciate the offer, Valentino but I think I’ll wait in Angel’s shadow. Somewhere I can _keep an eye on him._ ” Angel quickly leaned away from the door as he heard Alastor sink into the floor and he hurried down the hall, sliding into the elevator just as Alastor caught up to him. The radio demon rose from the floor as the elevator doors closed, smiling knowingly up at the spider. “It is quite rude to eavesdrop, Angel.”

“I was just curious. I _am_ the one in the middle of all this.” Angel sighed, holding his injured arm as he leaned against the elevator wall. He glanced up to see Alastor watching him curiously and for some reason seeing Alastor’s expression annoyed the spider. There was more going on here than Alastor just making sure he got home on time and if he was unsure about it before, he was certain of it now. “And why do you want to be near me? I thought you hated sex.”

“ _Oh,_ I won’t be watching you _that_ closely.” Alastor chuckled, tapping his microphone on the spider’s head gently. The radio demon’s smile softened, causing Angel’s heart to skip a beat with that look and the spider cleared his throat, looking away. Alastor was looking at him as if he were a small child, and while Angel hated that Alastor was still looking down on him, _something_ about that look made him…happy. “Just enough to tell whether Val is attempting to attack you again. Otherwise, I won’t interfere.”

“Okay.” Angel smiled, covering the blush that started on his face. Why was he reading so much into this? Even if it were only business to Alastor, to Angel, it was a relief to have someone watching out for his well-being. No one besides Cherri had even attempted such a thing before, and well, she was a good friend, but no Overlord.

“Well, have fun, little Angel.” Alastor chuckled, sliding back down into the spider’s shadow and Angel looked up as the elevator started to slow down. Angel took a deep breath, quickly walking off the elevator to make it to his room and change before Val expected him back downstairs.


	7. My Confusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You’re fucked, Al, in more ways than one.” Husk finally wheezed, leaning against the bar as he closed his eyes. “And you just agreed to go on a date with the fucker?”

Alastor settled into his seat, quite pleased with himself as he sipped on his warm tea. This little plan of his was going better than expected and it no longer required much from the radio demon.

Alastor had accompanied Angel to work for a few nights after the first, enjoying the frustrated scowl on the Moth’s face from being thwarted by the radio demon’s presence. Everything went smoothly, with Angel going about his work undisturbed and returning to the Hotel on time every night. Charlie was pleased that Angel was no longer being abused and returning back on time, and Alastor was no longer subjected to nightly pains. Now the radio demon merely sent his Shadow in his place, as the Creature was more than capable of mimicking Al’s red eyes in the spider’s shadow. The Moth was none the wiser, the spider was protected and most importantly, Alastor was safe.

Of course, there was still the matter of Angel himself and the bond. The spider was more than suspicious about the radio demon’s motives and still questioned Alastor constantly on why he was protecting him. Alastor always gave the same excuse, merely stating that he was protecting his investment and slinking away before Angel could push the subject. It seemed as if their bond had not deepened any further, but neither had it begun to fade, as Alastor was still occasionally subjected to Angel’s pain when the spider accidentally hurt himself.

“Maybe it’s time to withdraw protection altogether.” Alastor mused, taking another sip of his warm tea. He had considered withdrawing his Shadow before, but it was precisely then that the Moth had attempted to attack Angel and Alastor was forced to act. He had quickly traded places with his Shadow, arriving just in time to stop Valentino’s intended blow. The act had been enough to make Val wary again, and as much as Alastor wanted to withdraw completely from Angel, the fear than Valentino would resume his abuse kept the radio demon sending his guard every night.

“Wanna share with the rest of the class?” Husk asked, leaning heavily against the bar as Alastor hummed again, finishing off his tea and sliding the mug to the cat. Husk hissed, swiping the cup as he began to make Alastor more tea. “Withdraw what protection?”

“Hmm, I wonder.” Alastor smiled, and the cat demon sighed, sliding the radio his new mug. Alastor chuckled, picking up the warm mug and taking another slight sip of the hot beverage.

“So who is it?” Husk continued, and Alastor started to frown, glaring up at the cat. Husk was meeting his glare evenly, making it obvious he was not going to back down. Alastor had managed to dodge Husk’s insistence questioning, but it seemed that the cat was determined to get his answer tonight. “Who are ya Soulbound to this time?”

“As I’ve said before, It’s not of your concern. I have it under control.” Alastor retorted, sipping his tea as he closed his eyes. Husk sighed again, leaning close across the bar.

“Look, Al. I’ve been around you for a while, and I’ve _never_ seen you entertain a bond for more than a few weeks.” The cat started and Alastor sighed heavily, his frown starting to turn into a smile. Husk ignored this obvious warning, leaning closer to the radio. “Yet, you’ve had this one for at least a month. I don’t really care who it is, but _I know_ you don’t want it or need it. So, why haven’t you broken it yet? Why aren’t you _ignoring_ it?”

“I have my reasons.”

“You know what happens if you don’t break it soon? Those pesky emotions of theirs are gonna start bothering you. You know, those things you think are so useless and frivolous and-”

“ _Don’t you think I know that, Husk!_ ” Alastor exclaimed, slamming his mug back on the counter as he stood from the chair. The cat demon jumped back, surprised by the radio demon’s outburst and it took Alastor a moment to realize what he had done. He slowly sat back down, avoiding the cat’s gaze as he placed his hands around the mug again. He closed his eyes, fighting to get his breathing under control before speaking. “I am…aware of what happens, Husker. I have no intention of letting things go so far.”

“Then why haven’t you allowed it to fade yet?”

“It’s…not that simple, Husker dear.”

“Why? Never seemed to be a problem before.”

“The bond has never caused me pain before.” Alastor sighed, sipping off his mug again as Husk watched silently, waiting for the radio demon to continue. Alastor brought the cup down from his lips, contemplating how much he wanted to open up to the cat. “I’ve never bonded with…someone who was being abused before.”

“Fuck, Al, that’s what you meant by protection.” Huck sighed as Alastor chuckled, bringing his hand to his face. “So what? You won’t let go because you’re afraid the pain will come back once you stop protecting them? Or it because of your own abuse?”

“A bit of both, if I’m in the mood to be honest. I have no desire to go through such pain anymore.” Alastor breathed, swirling his mug to watch the liquid flow inside the ceramic container. “I have already had to step in once to keep it from starting up again.”

“Alastor.” The radio demon looked up, slightly annoyed to see the concern on Husk’s face. He _did not_ want the cat’s pity, regardless of how long they had known one another. “Who is it?” 

“Don’t laugh when I tell you.”

“I won’t.” The cat promised and Alastor sighed, once again closing his eyes.

“It’s-”

“Cosmo, please!” Angel sauntered into the bar, giggling as he sat down in his usual seat. Alastor immediately sat up in his seat, taking another sip from his mug as he ignored Angel’s presence. His Shadow slowly slipped from Angel’s shadow back to him, once again settling at his Master’s feet. The spider didn’t notice however, turning a bright grin to Alastor as Husk handed him his drink. “Hey, Al, are ya free tomorrow?”

“Perhaps.” Was the radio demon’s curt answer, barely looking up from his mug as Angel giggled again, taking a sip from his drink. It was clear the spider had already been drinking and more alcohol was probably the last thing Angel needed but Alastor shrugged, keeping his thoughts to himself as he sipped more of his tea. He was the spider’s bodyguard, not his babysitter.

“Well, ever heard of a little show called Sweeny Todd?” Angel squirmed in his seat, and Husk gave the spider an annoyed expression.

“No and neither have you.” The cat spat and Angel stuck his tongue out at Husk, clearly not bothered by the cat’s retort. “We all died well before that play was ever performed on Broadway.”

“Play?” Now Alastor was interested.

“Yea, it’s a musical about a murderous barber and a woman who uses the meat to make pies.” Angel excitedly explained, returning his attention back to radio demon. Alastor glanced over at the spider, now slightly more interested in what Angel had to say. “There’s some imps in Imp city performing it this weekend. Wanna go see it with me?”

“Are you asking _Alastor_ out on a _date_?” Husk scoffed and Angel frowned, glaring over at the cat again. “You might wanna aim a little lower, toots. _Way lower._ ”

“It’s not a date, it’s a thank you.” Angel fumed, leaning back with his glass. His eyes passed over Alastor before he looked away again. “Al helped me out with something and I just wanna repay the favor. I figured he liked theatre, so I managed to score some tickets.”

“Oh?” Alastor finally answered, finally turning to look at Angel. The spider nodded, downing his drink with three quick gulps. He carefully placed the glass back on the counter, once again beaming at the radio demon.

“Yea, and ya can say no. I get it if ya don’t wanna go. Just, you’ve done a lot for me lately.” Angel’s expression changed and Alastor tilted his head, slightly confused. The spider almost looked…ashamed? “I know ya say it’s all business, but it means a lot to me. So yeah, if you’re willing, I’d love to go see it with ya.”

“Hmmm.” Alastor hummed, tapping his hand on the counter. He had to admit, it had been a _long_ time since he had seen a live performance, and even longer since he had seen any sort of musical performance. The premise of this “Sweeny Todd” sounded promising from the way Angel described it, and even if the performance was horrible, that didn’t mean it couldn’t be entertaining in its own way. “I suppose I can accompany you on such an outing.”

“Really?! You’ll come?” Angel jumped out his seat and seemed to ready to hug the radio demon, but the spider stopped once Alastor began to pull away. Angel stepped back, opting to hug himself tightly instead as Alastor sat upright in his chair again, placing both hands on his mug. “That’s, that’s great! Yeah, I’ll-I’ll tell ya the details later!”

“Please do, perhaps when you aren’t drunk.” Alastor smiled slightly, and the spider nodded, quickly leaving the bar to go…wherever. Alastor was no longer concerned about Angel’s whereabouts, as long as the spider was safely inside the Hotel. He returned his attention to his now cold tea and the radio demon frowned, sliding the mug to Husk. The cat was giving him an accusatory look and Alastor raised his eyebrow, pushing the glass slightly closer.

“Helped him out with something?” The cat repeated and Alastor shrugged, nudging his mug closer. Husk sighed as he swiped the mug, pouring out the cold tea and preparing another fresh cup. Alastor hummed with delight as he was presented with his new tea, but the cat placed his paw over the mouth before the radio demon could take a sip. Alastor’s smile quickly shifted and he lifted his eyes to meet Husk’s glare. “Is _he_ the one you’ve been protecting?”

“And what if he is?” Alastor carefully slid the mug from under the cat’s paw, helping himself to more of his warm tea. Husk scoffed before loudly laughing, irritating the Overlord even more as he sipped his drink. He cleared his throat as he placed the mug back on the counter, glaring at the cat demon as he smiled. “I do recall you saying that you would not laugh.”

“You’re fucked, Al, in more ways than one.” Husk finally wheezed, leaning against the bar as he closed his eyes. “And you just agreed to go on a date with the fucker?”

“It’s not a da-”

“It’s a fucking date, Al.” Husk interrupted and Alastor sighed heavily, standing with his mug. He was tired of Husk’s unnecessary ridicule of his situation and now that Angel had returned, he had no reason or desire to remain at the Hotel. He began to walk out with his beverage when Husk’s voice made him pause. “Don’t go.”

“Excuse me?”

“Don’t go tomorrow, or you’ll only make things worse. You have to start pulling away.” Husk repeated, and as Alastor turned, he saw no more mirth in the cat’s expression. Only serious concern remained and the radio demon turned away from that look. Alastor made no effort to answer, walking out into the brisk night with his tea.


	8. Our Progression

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Had been Alastor’s own emotions that allowed the bond to deepen so much and if so, what did that mean?

Alastor had to admit, this…wasn’t so bad.

Charlie had loaned Angel the use of her limo to get to Imp city and back, and while the singing and performance of the play left much to be desired, the tenacity and full-hearted performance by the imps entertained the radio demon all the more. He openly laughed at their poorly delivered lines and he and Angel both enjoyed the pies that the actors had passed out to the audience during the one song about pies in London. Alastor wasn’t quite sure what kind of meat was in the pie he had received, but it was delicious nonetheless and he was quite entertained by Angel’s disappointment at receiving a fruit pie instead of meat.

As they stepped back into the limo to return to the Hotel, the spider’s smile began to fade and Alastor couldn’t help but notice the shift in Angel’s attitude. They sat on opposite sides, just as they had on the ride to the event, but this time Angel seemed…more withdrawn. More distant.

“Is something the matter Angel?” Alastor offered, sipping carefully on his wine. Despite Charlie’s lack of alcohol in the limo, that didn’t stop the radio demon from manifesting whatever he desired and although Angel was at first upset about Alastor’s choice of wine, he soon caved, accepting that any alcohol was better than none. The spider in question now sighed, loosening his bow tie from around his neck as he drank from his own glass.

“Nah, just…kinda got reminded of the past a little.” The spider offered, placing his glass on the tray as he laid down on the seat, looking up the ceiling. “I grew up in New York, ya know. Brooklyn. I saw some Broadway shows.”

“Oh?” Alastor responded coolly, only pretending to be partly interested. It was going to be a _long ride back_ if Angel was going to complain about his former life. “How did this one compare?”

“Well, it was pretty shit compared to those.” Angel admitted, chuckling softly and Alastor joined him, unable to help laughing as well. The spider’s laugh soon faded, and Angel sighed heavily again, causing the radio demon to frown. “My mom loved shows though. Always wanted to be an actress before she met my dad. She had a good voice too; she would’ve been great.”

“Oh?” Alastor repeated but Angel let out a heavy breath, sitting up slightly to drink more of his wine. He stared into the dark red liquid and the radio demon frowned as he saw the spider’s expression. _He knew that look_ : it was a look that often graced his own face when he thought of _his_ mother. “Is she…Above or Below?”

“Above.” Angel sighed, finishing off his glass and letting it roll across the limo floor. “If not for my Pa, she would’ve lived longer than me.”

_If not for his…_ “Why was her death his fault? _”_

“How else is a man responsible for his wife’s death?” Angel spat, covering his face with his hands, once again laying on his back to look at the ceiling. Alastor remained silent, his own anger rising at Angel’s implied statement. The two had a lot more in common that Alastor had ever realized, but that didn’t make the radio demon feel any better. “What about ya mum? Where is she?”

“Above, where she belongs.” Alastor sighed, sipping off his wine again. “For similar reasons to your own.”

“Fuckin sucks doesn’t it?” Angel sighed, running his hands through his carefully maintained fur before turning his head to look at Alastor. “Although I’d imagine your pa didn’t live very long afterwards.”

“He didn’t.” Alastor affirmed, his smile growing wide as he remembered the night he killed his stepfather. Oh, how _surprised_ the pig had been to see the young teen looming over him, knife in hand, tearing streaming down his face. How he had tried to fight back, tried to attack and beat the boy like he used too, but the man didn’t know that Alastor had _poisoned his food_. It was that taste of justice, that taste of retribution, that had sent Alastor down the road that led him to Hell. And he regretted none of it.

“Hmm, too bad I didn’t know ya back then, maybe you could have convinced me to do the same to mine.” Angel chuckled half-heartedly and Alastor titled his head, still smiling at the spider.

“It’s still not too late, since the bastard is in Hell.” Alastor remarked, his smile growing wider. “ _Nothing more satisfying than killing him twice._ ”

“Yea, I bet.” Angel sighed, looking away from the radio demon again. Alastor shrugged, taking another sip of his drink as the limo brought them ever closer to the Hotel. “Is Alastor your real name?”

“Yes.” The radio demon answered, confused by this new and sudden question. _Now_ what was the spider thinking? “Why wouldn’t it be?”

“I dunno, a lot of people change their names when they fall, new life and all.” Angel shrugged, still keeping his eyes away from Alastor’s. The radio demon really couldn’t tell where Angel’s head was at or why he had jumped from talking about their parents to their names. “I shouldn’t have to tell ya my name wasn’t Angel Dust.”

“One could assume as much.” Alastor agreed, and the two fell into silence. Alastor waited a moment to see if Angel would say anything else before looking out the window to watch the passing scenery. He eventually glanced back to the spider and saw Angel looking at him, a curious look on the spider’s face. Alastor turned to look at him again, frowning slightly. “What?”

“Aren’t ya gonna ask?”

“No. I really don-”

“It’s Anthony.” Angel interrupted, smiling slightly at Alastor. The radio demon forced a smile back, starting to grow annoyed with the spider again. “Priceless, right?”

“Indeed, that is what the name means.”

“No, I mean yes, but that’s not what I meant.” Angel sighed, sitting up fully to look at Alastor. The radio demon was now fully concerned about what was on the spider’s mind, setting down his glass. Angel let out another deep breath, now completely pulling the bow tie from around his neck and allowing the top of his jacket to fall open. Alastor did his best not to stare and kept his eyes trained on the spider’s face. “It’s funny how my mum gives me a name that means priceless, and yet I’m as worthless as they get.

“I mean, at least you got revenge for your mum when ya dad killed her. I just let mine walk all over me until it killed me too.” Angel scoffed and Alastor could see the beginnings of tears in his eyes. _Fuck,_ he did _not_ know how to deal with this and so the radio demon merely stared, watching as the spider brought his hand to his face. “Then I fall into this Hellhole, no surprises there, and what do I do? Give my soul away to the first smooth talking Overlord who claims to love me.”

“Angel, I-”

“You ain’t gotta say nuthin’ Smiles, I know this ain’t your thing.” Angel interrupted, chuckling to himself as he sighed, leaning against the seat to avoid meeting Alastor’s gaze. “I guess that’s why it feels okay to tell ya. Charlie and Cherri just go on about how sorry they are about what happened to me and how I’m a great person, but not you. You just…listen. Because you don’t understand or care to understand.”

“May I call you Anthony?” Alastor blurted, surprising himself as the words left his mouth. Angel also seemed surprised, sitting up from the seat to look at the radio demon. Alastor quickly cleared his throat, racking his mind for an excuse for his question. “I…I prefer to use a person’s true name, rather than a pseudonym or fake name.”

“I mean I guess? Just don’t go calling me Anthony around Val or Charlie.” Angel shrugged, turning away to lean into his seat once more. “I _hate_ when Val calls me Anthony and I just don’t want Charlie to know yet.”

“Fair enough. ” Alastor agreed, quickly looking down into his drink as a blush began to creep across his face. _Why was he starting to feel happy?_ All the spider had done was given his permission for the radio demon to use his former name and it was true that Alastor preferred to use a person’s real name. The idea of calling Angel Anthony _shouldn’t_ have made him happy…unless…unless…he wasn’t the one happy about it.

Alastor quickly looked back up, fear creeping into his smile as Angel smiled at the radio demon softly, glancing down as Alastor looked up. The spider _was_ happy about it and even a simpleton could see that. “And I meant it when I said this wasn’t a date. I just wanted to thank ya.”

“Yo-you are quite welcome, Anthony.” Alastor managed, covering his face as he glanced away, hoping to hide his growing embarrassment. Husk was right: _Alastor should have said no._ Now he was feeling the spider’s emotions, as slight as it was and it almost hurt Alastor’s chest as he felt Angel’s happiness increase at hearing the radio demon say his name. “And…I don’t think you are worthless, Anthony.”

_Fuck, **now** what was he doing?_

 _“_ Huh? _”_ Angel turned back to the radio demon and Alastor _felt_ his confusion replace the happy feeling. Alastor began to panic and started to rack his brain for a good excuse. He couldn’t say anything hurtful _now,_ lest he feel the emotional pain of sadness or worse, _rejection._

“You have made your mistakes, but those do not determine your worth.” Alastor took a deep breath, bringing his hand away from his mouth as he smiled softly at the spider. He had to act his way through this, keep his own emotions and fear under control until he could get far enough away from the Angel to sever the emotional connection. “It is what you do going forward that determines your worth.”

“That’s…surprisingly nice coming from the person who keeps referring to me as an ‘asset.’” Angel replied coolly and Alastor laughed as he felt Angel’s annoyance. Seeing the spider annoyed still amused him, and he could deal with this emotion easily. The radio demon sipped his wine, still chuckling as the spider contemplated his words. “So which is it? Am I an object, or a person?”

“Did you know it’s possible to be both?” Alastor chuckled, giving Angel a dark smile over the lip of his glass and he delighted as the annoyance gave way to fear. _Yes, this was even better_ and Alastor hummed as he watched the spider quickly turn away. “Perhaps you should stop wondering _if_ I consider you one of the other, and spend more time trying to understand _why._ ”

“Yeah…I’ll do that.” Angel replied quietly and they slipped into blessed silence as Angel laid against the seat, avoiding the radio demon’s eyes. Alastor let out a quiet sigh of relief as Angel’s emotions left him and he closed his eyes, contemplating this change to his situation. What had prompted this development? Surely it couldn’t have been him going with Angel to the play: if physical closeness was all that was required, then it should have been gradual, just like the slow escalation of pain.

Could…could it be because he _enjoyed it?_ Alastor covered his face again, looking down into his nearly empty glass. He had enjoyed the show and the time he had spent with Angel: that much he could not deny. Had been Alastor’s own _emotions_ that allowed the bond to deepen so much and if so, what did that mean? Angel still seemed oblivious to the connection, probably due to the fact that Alastor was rarely ever hurt and he had taken extra precautions to avoid any pain, lest the spider find out. If emotions were now shared, how long would it take for Angel to put two and two together?

Alastor felt fear rise in his chest again and he finished off his wine, wanting nothing more to reach the Hotel so he could retreat back to his radio tower. Space: what he need now was space to get his head back in order, and to figure how to sever this connection before it got any worse.


	9. Your Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He did his best to smile, but his expression was twisted with pain and he groaned slightly as he tried to swallow the growing fear back down. Fuck, what was this?

Angel sighed heavily as he walked back into the Hotel, careful to close the door behind him this time. As soon as they had returned, Alastor had made some quick excuse and went back to his tower, slightly disappointing the spider. The radio demon seemed frantic to get away from him, and it almost seemed as if Angel had scared him off. He had _hoped_ to maybe spend some more time together outside of Alastor just hanging in his shadow while he went to work, but it seemed that he had ruined any chance of that.

“Because who wants to hear someone complain about their past, right?” Angel lamented, glancing at Husk at the bar as he considered stopping for a drink. The wine Alastor had manifested for them was nice, but the spider craved his usual vodka and he started toward the cat. Husk barely glance up at the spider as he sat down, turning to make Angel’s Cosmo before he could ask for it. Angel frowned: it wasn’t like Husk to start making his drink before he could say anything, so either the cat was trying to get him to leave or he had another reason for wanting to make the spider’s drink.

“Yeah, so how did your ‘not date’ go?” Husk hissed and Angel frowned, snatching his drink away from the cat. Husk was never genuinely nice to Angel, but lately he had graduated from being just mildly annoying to flat out antagonistic. Angel wasn’t sure what he had done to warrant such a change, but he was starting to get tired of it. It was reminding him too much of Valentino and _anything_ that reminded Angel of the moth was a bad thing.

“It went _fine_ , Husk. We had a great time and Alastor went back to his tower.” Angel hummed, pretending he wasn’t bothered as he sipped on his drink. The cat scoffed and the spider could feel his annoyance returning.

“It’s not even six and Alastor went back to his Tower? Hate to break it to ya, toots, but that means it _didn’t_ go fine.” Husk chuckled and Angel closed his eyes, doing his best to ignore the cat. Why did Husk have to be like this? “So whatcha do? Try to kiss him? Touch him? Maybe get a little action in the limo?”

“As if.” Angel scoffed, finishing his drink as he set the glass on the counter. He felt a shiver run up his back and it wasn’t entirely from disgust. “I may be a slut, but I still have standards. I ain’t got no desire to sleep with a fuckin’ cannibal.”

“Big words coming from you, _slut_.” Husk sneered as he refilled the glass and Angel growled back.

“Who I Sleep with and who I _want_ to sleep with aren’t necessary the same thing, Asshole.” The spider spat back. Husk didn’t react as he poured the drink, pretending he hadn’t heard the spider. Angel huffed as another shiver ran up his back, this time accompanied by sense of discomfort. “Besides Alastor doesn’t do that shit, and I ain’t about to force myself on someone.”

“Coulda fooled me with all that damn flirting.” Husk shot back, sliding the glass across the counter back to the spider. Angel wanted to shoot back with another smart comment, but he merely sighed. He _really_ wasn’t in the mood to get into it with Husk anyway.

“I…told him about my life and what my real name was.” Angel finally revealed, swiping his glass to down the second drink. He pulled it back as he remembered how Alastor had asked to call him Anthony and how happy it had made him to hear that the radio demon didn’t think he was worthless. Then he remembered Alastor’s silent threat and he shivered slightly. “He seemed okay at first but then he…didn’t want to talk anymore.”

“Probably because he didn’t want to hear about it in the first place.” Husk offered, leaning away from the spider as he scoffed. Angel glared over the drink again, down the second glass. “Bet you offered it without him asking.”

“He _did_ ask. I might’ve told more than needed but I didn’t ju-” A voice behind the spider stopped his next sentence and Angel couldn’t help the wide smile that came to his face.

“Hell yeah, I thought you were never gonna come back.” Angel started to turn just as Cherri threw her arm around his neck, jumping to make up for the height difference. Angel almost slammed his head into the bar as she brought him down to her level, but he was grinning madly as the cyclops as she chuckled. “So, how’d your date go? Gonna get lucky tonight?”

“It wasn’t a date, Cherri.” Angel corrected, sliding from under her arm as he placed the empty glass back on the bar, standing from his seat. He was tired of repeating himself to everyone and besides, considering how it ended, it would have been a disaster of date. “And it was going well, until I opened my mouth.”

“Heh, I thought that’s usually when things went _really_ well.” Cherri laughed and Angel rolled his eyes, lightly punching the cyclops in the shoulder. Cherri shrugged, throwing her hands up in the air. “Well then, since you’re free, wanna come chill with me? I got some new movies that I think you’re gonna _love._ ”

“Ugh, as long as they’re not more Kaju movies or whatever like last time.”

“ _It’s Kaijuu_.” Cherri corrected, sticking her tongue out at the spider, a gesture which Angel returned in kind. He turned to glance up at the clock, checking to see how close it was to his curfew. He did have a few hours left and watching movies with Cherri seemed a better way to spend the evening than wallowing in his room or arguing with Husk. “Besides, they’re horror. Ya know, _ya favorite._ I swiped some new ones from the store today, these are only like, a few years old.”

“Yea, yea, just let me run up to my room and change.” The spider smiled, flicking off Husk behind his back as he began moving toward the stairs to reach his room. He heard the cat hiss behind him and Angel smiled, a slight bounce in his step as he climbed. He slid into the space and after taking a moment to pet his pig, he stripped himself out of his jacket, debating if he wanted to change his skirt or not. After a moment he decided against it, searching through his closet to find a new top.

Just as Angel decided on his favorite pink sweater, he was overcome by a sense of fear and anxiety and he quickly brought his hand to his chest, looking around his empty room. Fat Nuggets walked up to him as Angel sat on his knees, grabbing his chest fur tighter as the feeling intensified and he groaned slightly from the pain. _What…what was this?!_ What his body trying to warn him of something? Why was he suddenly so…scared? And what was he scared of?

“Yo, fucker, you coming or wha-” Angel looked up as Cherri slid into his doorway and the cyclops suddenly stopped speaking at seeing the look on his face. She stepped into his room cautiously, dropping the volume of her voice as she did so. She gently touched the spider’s shoulder just as he let out a sharp gasp, his chest constricting more. “Hey, Angie, what’s up? What happened?”

“No-Nothing. I just…got a bad feeling is all.” Angel tried to smile, but his chest _hurt so much_ and he groaned slightly as he stood with the sweater. He did his best to smile, but his expression was twisted with pain and he groaned slightly as he tried to swallow the growing fear back down. _Fuck, what was this?_ “Maybe…maybe I should just stay here tonight, Sugar Tits. Sorry.”

“Yea, no shit. Gotta listen to ya intuition. I’ll go grab the movies and we can watch em here, ‘aight?” Cherri offered, and Angel nodded, pulling his sweater over his head as the cyclops demon disappeared from his door, rushing back to her place. Angel scooped up Fat Nuggets, squeezing the pig tightly as he sat on his bed. Intuition…could that really be what this was? Angel had never been very good at listening to his intuition before and even if he did get a bad feeling about something, it had never felt so…intense before.

“Fuck that’s weird.” Angel breathed, finally relieved as the feeling began to fade and he placed a soft kiss on his son. Nuggets squealed happily from the affection and the spider chuckled, smiling down at the pig. He waited until the feeling had completely left him for taking in a deep breath, calmly breathing the air back out. Well, whatever it was, it seemed that staying at the Hotel had caused the feeling to fade, and for now, that was good enough for him. “But, no sense in overthinking it. Maybe Charlie will let us use the tv in the library.”

Angel slowly stood from his bed, cradling Fat Nuggets In his lower arms as he closed the door to his room, making his way back downstairs to try and find the Princess. Maybe they could make it into a movie night or something: now that could be a nice change of pace.


	10. My Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Now, this is a treat. Alastor without his smile.” The radio demon looked up at the sound of the voice, and he forced a chuckle, releasing his coat as he turned around.

Alastor clutched his coat tightly as he made his way back to his tower, his heart still pounding in his chest. Why, _why, **why**_ had he said _yes_ to going out with the Spider? He _wasn’t_ supposed to be entertaining the bond…protecting, just _protecting the spider._ Now, now emotions could be shared and Alastor was now subject to a whole new world of torment. What if…Alastor began to _feel_ Angel while he work…no. That wasn’t what Alastor was truly afraid of and he knew it. What truly scared him, what made his clutch his coat so tightly as he walked down the street, was the idea of Angel feeling _his_ emotions.

“Now, this is a treat. Alastor without his smile.” The radio demon looked up at the sound of the voice, and he forced a chuckle, releasing his coat as he turned around. Behind him stood a tall slender demoness, her black eyes boring into him as she smiled, twirling her umbrella as she watched him. Alastor smiled as she pushed herself of the wall, offering the demoness his arm as she approached him. Rosie took it, chuckling to herself. “You’ve been quite good at surprising me today.”

“I have no idea what you mean, Rosie dear.” Alastor sighed, happy to have the demoness as company. He needed a moment of normalcy, something to calm him back down so he could think clearly about his situation. Rosie glanced down at him and Alastor continued smiling, waiting for the demoness explain herself. The demoness gave him an accusatory glance before shrugging, twirling her umbrella again.

“Husker didn’t tell you? I was just at your little pet project looking for you.” Alastor’s heart skipped a beat at the demoness’ words but he outwardly chuckled, pretending her words didn’t bother him. “Imagine my surprise when the cat told me you were out! On a date no less!”

“It was _not_ a date.” Alastor corrected, the edges of his smile starting to twitch. He would have to have a _long_ talk with the cat about discussing his business with others. “Anthony was merely thanking me for favor I did for him.”

“A favor? First charity work and now you’re doing favors? My my, it’s like I hardly know you!” Rosie smiled, throwing her head back in laughter. Alastor joined her, her laugh easing his tension. “But Anthony…that wouldn’t happen to be Angel Dust’s _real_ name, now would it?”

“It is, and I prefer it to that false name of his.” Alastor released the demoness as he opened the door to his tower, allowing Rosie to enter his home. The lights quickly sprung to life and the radio began playing upbeat jazz as Alastor stepped inside, closing the door as he loosened his bow tie. “Can I get you anything, Rosie dear?”

“Only the usual, Alastor. ” The demoness lounged on his couch and Alastor nodded, making his way to the kitchen as he removed the bow tie and his jacket. Alastor hummed to himself as he filled his kettle with water, putting it on to boil as he fished out two mugs from his cabinets. The familiarity of being in his tower and hearing Rosie soothing voice was helping to calm the radio demon down, and he was beginning to forget about his predicament altogether. “So where did you go?”

“To see a poorly performed play. It was entertaining, I’ll admit.” Alastor chuckled, carefully measuring out the sugar to each of their preferences and placing their respective tea bags in their cups. “The pies were delicious, as was the spider’s disappointment.”

“Oh you are the worse, Alastor, to delight in another’s displeasure.” Rosie chuckled, looking toward the demon’s radio. Alastor watched her curiously for a moment, waiting to see if Rosie would reveal _why_ she had wanted to spend time with him today. The demoness usually kept to herself and she usually only sought out his company out of boredom or if she wanted to talk about something. It seemed to be the latter today, as the demoness leaned against the couch, turning her empty eyes back to the radio demon. “Did I tell you I was SoulBound again?”

“Oh?” _Fuck._

“Yes, to a sweet little thing. I believe she is friends with your Anthony.” Rosie seemed pensive, looking toward the radio as the song skipped. Alastor turned away, wishing that the water would hurry up and finish boiling. He brought his hand to his face as his fear returned, remembering how he had felt Angel’s emotions in the limo. “I was tempted to let the bond fade, but I believe I may actually pursue this one.”

“Oh?” Alastor fought to keep his voice under control but couldn’t help the bit of static that seeped into that single word.

“Yes, she is quite interesting, far more than those in the past. I wonder how she will react to being Bound to an Overlord.” Rosie chuckled again as the song skipped, changing to a darker tune as Alastor’s anxiety increased. He was tempted to turn off the device, but he knew doing so would only make Rosie more suspicious. His chest ached with his fear, but he did his best to remain calm as she continued speaking. “I know your feelings on such things, so I won’t ask for advice. But haven’t you ever been curious? Haven’t you ever _wondered_ what it is like to have a mature bond?”

“Ha, to have another privy to my thoughts and emotions? To share _my pain?_ ” Alastor scoffed, his fear rising again as he spoke. He did his best to chuckle as the kettle went off, carefully lifting it to finish preparing their tea. “There is no one who _could_ and I have no desire to share theirs. Such a bond…is useless. _Frivolous. An inconvenience._ ”

“Perhaps, but it does add excitement to an otherwise boring existence. ” Rosie countered, and Alastor heard as she rose from the couch, making her way over to him. Alastor forced his smile as he turned, handing the Overlord her tea. She accepted it, closing her eyes as she breathed in the aroma of her beverage. Alastor took a sip of his own tea, his rising anxiety and fear melting away with the warm drink. “But I suppose I should expect no less from you. After all, you are… _harsh_ with those who have the unfortunate fortune of being Bound to you.”

“I have no time for such things.” Alastor replied curtly, wishing he could steer the conversation away the topic of being Soulbound. He had _hoped_ to forget about such things for a while, not be reminded that his situation was only getting worse by the day. “Being Soulbound is a distraction and only gets worse as time goes on.”

“How would _you_ know? You’ve never let a bond mature before.” Rosie shrugged. “Who knows, you might actually enjoy not being alone again.”

“I don’t have to let a bond mature to know that I don’t _want or need it_.” Alastor hissed, his anxiety causing him to grow angry. _Why did she **insist**_ _on talking about this and why did she have to remind him of **her**? _Rosie seemed slightly taken aback by the radio demon’s reaction, taking a sip as he closed his eyes. “The emotions of another…are only useful when I can manipulate them and I have no desire to let someone that close to me anymore.”

“Hmhm, then do you derive _joy_ from killing the poor, unknowing fools?” Rosie offered, sipping her tea again as she chuckled. Alastor smiled slightly at her statement, his anger fading somewhat. “Ending their life and feasting on their flesh while they die ignorant, not knowing that their only crime was being bonded with _you?_ ”

“I haven’t killed them all, Husker is alive after all.” Alastor hummed, sipping his own beverage. Rosie laughed at his retort, placing her mug down on the counter. She tapped her slender fingers, her shoulders shaking with mirth.

“Only because the Cat was smart enough to ignore the bond as well, freeing you from its effect before it could go anywhere and I hear he’s happily Bound to someone else.” Rosie sighed, crossing her arms across her chest as she closed her eyes. She opened her eyes slightly, keeping her gaze to the floor. “I envy him at times. He had a chance to glimpse into that mind of yours and chose not to.”

“A smart choice.”

“Perhaps. I’m not sure I could have resisted the temptation.” Rosie conceded, turning as she walked away from her fellow Overlord, retrieving her umbrella from beside the couch. Alastor watched curiously as she made her way back to the door, glancing over her shoulder to smile at the radio demon. “I do believe I have taken up enough of your time with frivolous talk, Alastor. Enjoy your tea.”

Alastor remained silent as Rosie left, finally alone in his tower as the door closed behind her. The Overlord sighed, placing his tea down on the counter as his thoughts returned to Anthony. The bond still existing was his own fault, his own reluctance to let go of the spider and now, because of his own frivolous emotions, he and the Spider were Bound tighter than before. Alastor began to laugh again, the radio crackling with static as he threw his head back, letting his laughter fill the empty space.

“Oh, Rosie, you are a sly one.” Alastor sighed, looking back down to the demoness’ neglected tea. He had no doubt that Rosie knew he was Soulbound: she probably threatened Husk into telling her, as the cat knew better than to tell Alastor’s business to another. Despite her demeanor, Rosie was worst than Alastor, in more ways than one, and she delighted in anything that could make him squirm. She had wanted to make him squirm, to make him denouncing being Bound, all while knowing the truth about his situation with Angel.

“ _Enjoy not being alone..._ ” Alastor repeated, looking back to his own tea. The Radio demon had been alone since his mother died, and he had only considered letting someone in once. That had been a mistake and it was one he never wanted to repeat. Even now, he didn’t genuinely want Angel: while it was true he and the spider had quite a bit in common and his presence was tolerable when he wasn’t flirting, Alastor’s main concern was still himself. He was only protecting and humoring Angel to protect _himself,_ and he knew that alone made him a poor match for the spider. Angel wanted _love,_ and Alastor didn’t know if that was something he was capable of giving or if he even wanted to try again.

“This…has to end.” Alastor sighed, picking up his mug as he began to climb the stairs to his bedroom.


	11. My Offer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alastor dug the sharp tips of his gloves into Angel’s skin and the spider could feel as small trickles of blood began to run down his fur. “𝖄𝖔𝖚 𝖐𝖓𝖔𝖜 𝖓𝖔𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖆𝖇𝖔𝖚𝖙 𝖒𝖊.”

Angel shivered as he pulled his jacket tighter, walking in the brisk night wind toward the radio demon’s tower. He could see the tall structure looming in the distance near him and he took a deep breath as he prepared himself to face Alastor.

Since the night of the play, Alastor had been avoiding Angel, only slipping into the spider’s shadow as he left for work, and quickly leaving again as Angel made it back to the Hotel. Any other time Angel attempted to approach the Overlord to apologize, Alastor would make some excuse and quickly leave, barely giving Angel the chance to speak. The fear and anxiety that had struck him that night often gripped him after such encounters, and Angel was determined to apologize for whatever wrong he had done.

So when Charlie had asked for someone to go visit Alastor at his Tower, Angel jumped at the chance. After their horror movie night with Cherri, the princess had decided to make it a weekly occurrence, determining that it was good for the whole staff to get together to relax. She had even managed to convince Husk to participate and she was hoping Alastor would too, which is why Angel was braving the chilly night air to go ask the radio demon.

“Alastor?” Angel called out as he knocked on the tower’s door, pulling his jacket tighter as he tried to ignore the stares of the demons around him. They all watched him with fear and quickly went about their way, most scuttling into their homes as quickly as they could. Angel shrugged as he watched: Alastor did have a reputation after all, and out of anyone, these poor souls knew it best. The spider heard some bumps in reaction to his knock and he took another deep breath as he heard Alastor reach the door.

He was not expecting the sight that greeted his eyes.

Alastor…was a _mess_ , for lack of a better word. His hair was all askew and even his monocle seemed barely on his face. He wasn’t wearing his jacket and had his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing numerous scars on his arms. His smile seemed lazy as he looked up at Angel and the spider forced a smile back.

“AH! Anthony!” Alastor exclaimed, attempting to stand up straight but failing, opting to continue leaning against the door. His voice was more garbled than usual, and the static made his words difficult to understand. “It’s freezing out there, my dear. Come in, come in.”

“Uh, Thanks?” Angel stepped inside the radio tower, kicking aside a bottle of booze that laid empty on the floor. Actually, now that Angel was paying attention, there were empty bottles everywhere. “Al, have you been _drinking?_ ”

“Only a small amount my dear!” The radio demon exclaimed, closing the door as soon as Angel was inside and Alastor bounced past the spider. Angel watched him as he laid back down on the couch, taking a swig from the bottle in his hand. _Was…was that a **deer** tail Angel had seen?_ “I thought I would try Husk’s approach to life for once!”

“Uh huh.” Angel nodded, attempting to count the bottles on the floor before deciding that the correct answer was _too many._ He slowly made his way around the space, attempting to look at Alastor on the couch. The radio demon finished chugging his current bottle, tossing it to join its brethren on the floor before manifesting another, quickly popping the cork and bringing it to his lips. Angel quickly reached out to grab the bottle, stopping the radio demon. “I, uh, think that’s enough Alastor.”

“ ** _𝔒ℌ?_** ” Angel found himself flung against the far wall, the bottle shattering in his hand as Alastor’s tentacles wrapped all around his body, pinning him to the surface. The spider groaned as his head bounced off the wall and he looked down to see Alastor below him, the radio demon’s eyes glowing red as he smiled menacingly up at the spider demon. "𝖂𝖍𝖔 𝖆𝖗𝖊 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖙𝖔 𝖉𝖊𝖈𝖎𝖉𝖊 𝖜𝖍𝖊𝖓 𝕴’𝖛𝖊 𝖍𝖆𝖉 𝖊𝖓𝖔𝖚𝖌𝖍?”

“Al, what’s wrong?” Angel managed to choke out, the tentacle around his neck tightening as he tried to speak. “This…this isn’t like you.”

“𝕺𝖍, 𝖇𝖚𝖙 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖉𝖔𝖓’𝖙 𝖐𝖓𝖔𝖜 𝖒𝖊 𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖞 𝖜𝖊𝖑𝖑 𝖓𝖔𝖜 𝖉𝖔 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝕬𝖓𝖌𝖊𝖑?”Alastor hissed back, tightening his fist and causing Angel to cry out from the pain. The spider closed his eyes, groaning as the tentacles dug into him more, sliding under his clothing to grip his fur. He felt the radio demon’s hand replace the tentacle around his neck and he could feel Alastor’s hot breath against his fur as the demon’s appendages pulled the jacket down to his elbows. Alastor dug the sharp tips of his gloves into Angel’s skin and the spider could feel as small trickles of blood began to run down his fur. “𝖄𝖔𝖚 𝖐𝖓𝖔𝖜 𝖓𝖔𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖆𝖇𝖔𝖚𝖙 𝖒𝖊.”

“ _I’d like to._ ” The spider coughed, doing his best to breathe as he turned his face away from Alastor’s. This seemed to give the radio demon pause, his tentacle’s stopping their assault and his grip on the spider’s throat loosened before he pulled away entirely. Angel coughed as precious air filled his lungs, taking several deep breaths before opening his eyes to look at Alastor. The radio demon had stepped back from him, his eyes still glowing that demonic red, but now…they were confused. “I’m sorry for whatever I said, but I just wanted to be friends, Alastor.”

“ _You don’t want to be my friend._ ” Alastor insisted, shaking his head slowly as he took another step back. The radio demon didn’t account for the many bottles on the floor however and was sent flying backwards, his tentacles disappearing with this momentary distraction. Angel quickly recovered as he was dropped to the floor, rushing over to Alastor’s side. The radio demon seemed fine, more shocked than anything and Angel chuckled with relief.

“Well, you fucking need something, because you’re a hot mess when you’re drunk. ” The spider snorted, standing up as he offered Alastor his hand. The radio demon turned away from him and Angel sighed, folding his upper set across his chest. “You can’t lay on the floor all night, Smiles.”

“And why not?”

“Fine, you can, but you don’t have to.” Angel sighed, rolling his eyes. “I’m just trying to help Alastor.”

“I didn’t _ask_ for your help, Angel.” The radio demon spat and something in his tone made the spider angry. Angel was filled with a boiling anger as he stood to his full height and he kicked one of the bottles near Alastor’s head into the wall, shattering the glass. The radio demon turned over at this, hissing at the spider until he saw Angel’s expression.

“Yeah, well I didn’t ask for _your_ help either.” The spider huffed, fighting the angry tears that wanted to flow. _Fuck,_ he hated how he cried when he was mad. “And yet, here you are, givin’ it. Fuck, you won’t even talk to me anymore but you still go to work with me every night. So, stop fucking sulking on your floor and let me fucking help you up or I’ma do it anyway.”

Alastor looked at the spider with surprise, slowly blinking his eyes back to normal. Angel huffed, once again holding out his hand to the radio demon and this time Alastor took it, allowing the spider to pull him up to his feet. They stood awkwardly for a moment, neither demon looking at the other as Angel released the Overlord. Alastor was the first to break the silence, sighing heavily.

“Why are you here, Anthony?”

“Charlie wanted me to see if ya wanted to come to a movie night with the rest of us.” Angel sighed as well, chancing a glance down at the radio demon. Alastor had pulled his sleeves back down, covering up his scars and he was still looking away from the spider. “Given your state though, I don’t think you should.”

“No…I shouldn’t.” Alastor agreed, dragging himself back to his couch, this time warily stepping around the bottles before collapsing back on it. He rolled away from Angel, turning his back to the spider and this time Angel could confirm that he did, in fact, have a deer tail. “Well, you have your answer. You can go now.”

“Sure you don’t want to talk about what’s wrong?” Angel offered, taking a deep breath as he waited. But the only answer he received was silence and the spider demon sighed, fixing his jacket around his shoulders. He began to walk toward the door, ready to make the long, chilly walk back to the hotel, when Alastor’s voice stopped him.

“How…do you do it?”

“Huh? Do what?” Angel turned around but Alastor hadn’t shifted his position on the couch. He still had his face buried into the cushions and the spider frown, confused how he had heard his voice. It was then that Angel realized that Alastor’s voice was coming from the radio in the corner and not from the radio demon himself.

“How…do you open up to others so easily?” Angel sighed, removing his coat and hanging it next to door before making his way back to the couch. He pushed aside some of the bottles and sat on the floor, placing his arm on the cushion but Angel was careful not to touch the deer. Radio. Whatever he was.

“I dunno. I just…start talking if I’m comfortable around ya.” Angel shrugged. “You enjoyed the play and it reminded me of my mum. One thing just kinda led into another, ya know? I didn’t realize we had so much in common.”

Silence filled the room and Angel sighed, tracing little circles into the couch behind Alastor. This…was not how he expected his visit to go. Afterall, he also hadn’t expected to find the Overlord shitfaced either, so there was that. “I ain’t asking ya to spill ya life’s story to me or tell me all ya secrets, Al. I just…wanted to see where we could go.”

“Could go?”

“I don’t mean a relationship.” Angel rushed to clarify, his heart pounding with worry. “I just meant, something more than me being just a person you protect from their abusive boss. More than an asset.”

“I can’t give you what you want, Anthony.” Alastor’s voice cracked as it came through the radio behind the spider and Angel chuckled softly.

“I don’t even know what I want, Al so no worries there.” Th spider admitted, drawing his knees up to his chest. “I’m not really expecting anything here, so there’s no pressure.”

“Thank you Angel.” Alastor sighed heavily, although Angel couldn’t tell if it was from relief or pain. A heavy sense of relief began to fill his own chest and the spider smiled, placing his hand over his heart gently. He wasn’t sure if that ‘Thank you’ was Alastor’s admission to try but…it was something.

“So uh, do you want me to go or…?”

“Stay.” With this Alastor finally turned over, allowing Angel to see his face. The radio demon’s eyes were still hazy from the alcohol but he seemed…calmer than before. A little more in control of himself and even as he cleared his throat, his voice continued to project from the radio behind them. “I…would prefer if you stayed. I’ll deal with Charlie tomorrow.”

“It’s all good. She knew I was coming here anyway.” Angel sighed, leaning against the couch more. “So, ya wanna talk or…”

But the gentle snores that came from the radio answered the spider’s question and Angel chuckled to himself as he realized that Alastor slept with his eyes open. It was creepy…but also kind of cute. Angel hummed as he closed his eyes, getting as comfortable as he could among the many bottles on the floor.

Yeah, there was no way he was going to tell anyone about this.


	12. My Uncertainty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “No, I’d imagine not. My offer still stands, by the way.” Alastor hummed, tapping his mug as he took another sip.

Alastor awoke with a splitting headache, groaning as he sat up on his couch. Why was he on the couch…and why did his head hurt so badly? The radio demon groaned, closing his eyes as he slid his hand on the couch, attempting to find his monocle. Alastor froze as he brushed something soft instead and he slowly turned to look down.

Leaning against his couch, sleeping in an extremely uncomfortable position was Angel, the spider’s chest rising and falling with each breath. Alastor quickly withdrew, leaning against the back of his couch as he started to notice the many bottles on his floor and he racked his mind to try and remember what had happened.

Had he been drinking with the spider? No, No, he had been drinking alone. Rosie had come by to torment him again, going on about her bond with Cherri and how the cyclops didn’t seem to mind the Overlord. Alastor thought she had made it up as part of her game to torment him, but it seemed that she hadn’t been lying about being Bound. She still was using the conversation to rile up the radio demon however, and Alastor had been left a frantic mess in her wake. He had started drinking and one bottle turned into two, then three, then six, then….

“ _Mon dieu…_ ” Alastor breathed, looking at the number of bottles on the floor around him. Thank Lucifer he was already in Hell and no longer had a liver to destroy. At some point Angel had come, and Alastor, in his stupor had invited him in. He had…attacked the spider when he tried to stop his drinking, and the radio demon flinched as he remembered his actions. He had been so drunk he failed to notice the pain from harming Angel and it was only now he could feel the pins in his neck from where he had punctured the spider’s skin.

“ _Merde…_ ” Alastor cursed again, remembering how shocked he had been at Angel’s confession, before promptly making a fool of himself. He was lucky the alcohol had dulled his senses, otherwise he might had given it away to the spider than they were Bound together. As it were, it seemed that Angel was none the wiser and given that he didn’t know what had caused the drinking, seemed to still not suspect anything.

The radio demon carefully slid around the sleeping spider, waving his hand to cause all the empty bottles and shards of glass to disappear. He motioned quietly to his Shadow, and the creature rose from the floor. The Shadow carefully lifted Angel, sliding the spider onto the couch and covering him with a blanket Alastor manifested for it. Satisfied, Alastor walked into his kitchen, leaning against the counters with his back to the spider, breathing in deeply.

He had…finally opened up to the Angel, even if his words were vague and without substance. Alastor was no longer sure if he wanted to entertain the bond, keeping the spider happy to ensure that he was never hurt by it, or if he still wanted to sever the darn thing. He had originally thought that being bonded to Angel was the worse thing that could have happened to him, but now…now he wasn’t so sure. Not only had the spider still attempted to help him after he had attacked him, he had even been willing to stay by the radio demon’s side, without attempting anything sexual. Indeed, Angel seemed genuine in his offer of friendship.

Would being Soulbound allow them to remain merely friends, however: Alastor had no idea. He had never gotten this far before and he only knew one person who had ever allowed a bond to mature fully and that was Husk. The cat was more likely to insist he break the bond than help him find a way to maintain it, so Alastor knew it would be useless to ask. No, it seemed he was on his own with this, and both outcomes at this point terrified Alastor.

“Ya, okay Smiles?” Alastor turned around as he heard Angel’s voice behind him, catching the spider as he started to sit up from the couch. Alastor smiled, nodding his head.

“I am…much better now. Thank you Anthony.” Alastor watched as Angel yawned, stretching out all four of his arms as he pulled the blanket tighter around himself. It was obvious that the spider was still tired as it was the middle of the night. Alastor only slept in short bursts, so it was normal for him to be awake already. “There is a bed upstairs, if the couch is uncomfortable.”

“I might have to take you up on that.” The spider chuckled and Alastor allowed himself a soft laugh as well, watching as Angel stood from the couch, still wrapped in the blanket as he walked over the radio demon in the kitchen. “Got anything to drink that isn’t booze?”

“Water, or I can make you some tea, if you don’t mind waiting.”

“I don’t.” Alastor smiled at the spider’s response, quickly retrieving his kettle. The familiar motions of making tea always put Alastor at ease and he hummed to himself as he went through the motions, pulling out two mugs and measuring out the sugar for himself. He paused over Angel’s cup, chancing a glance up at the spider. Angel shrugged, meeting Alastor’s gaze. “I like it sweet.”

“Two spoonfuls then.” Alastor decided, turning to pull out his collection of tea and laying it before the spider. Angel’s eyes widen at the variety and Alastor chuckled at his reaction. “You may choose which ever you like, although peppermint or chamomile will help you sleep better.”

“Eh, not a fan of mint, so I’ll take the other one.” Angel shrugged and Alastor nodded, placing two bags of chamomile tea in the spider’s cup and vanilla chai is his own. He preferred milk when drinking chai tea but he would make do with water tonight. As they waited from the kettle to whistle, Alastor chanced another glance up at Angel’s face, surprised to see the spider still watching him. “So, uh, what was that all about?”

“What was…” The radio demon repeated, until it dawned on him what the spider was referring to. “Ah, you mean before.”

“Yea, it’s not like you to drink so much. You usually keep it classy.” Angel shrugged, looking to the now empty floor. Alastor racked his mind for an excuse while the spider was looking away from him, bringing his hand to his face to hide his expression. He couldn’t be honest: no, he wasn’t ready for that yet but he needed a good enough lie.

“I was…thinking about my stepfather.” Alastor sighed, looking away from the spider as Angel turned back to look at him. It wasn’t a _complete_ lie, as the abuse from his stepfather played a role in why Alastor protected Angel, but it wasn’t the truth either. “My mother…wasn’t the only person he abused.”

“Ah shit, Al.” Was all the spider offered and the radio demon chuckled, moving to pour the hot water as the kettle began to whistle. He handed the spider his tea, which Angel took gently, holding the blanket around him with two of his hands. “Did…did ya ever know your real father?”

“Not while I was alive.” Again, not _really_ a lie.

“Fuck, that sucks. Couldn’t have cared too much if he left you and ya mom.”

‘ _Oh you have no idea, Anthony._ ’ “I suppose not.” Alastor sipped on his tea, enjoying the hot beverage as silence elapsed between them. The radio demon tapped his mug, trying to think of a way to fill the void. “I…don’t do well when I’m forced to remember.”

“I can see that.” Angel chuckled, blowing on his drink before taking a cautious sip. Alastor watched as the spider hummed with delight, taking another small sip of the hot drink. “I mean, I don’t do well when faced with my Pa either. ”

“No, I’d imagine not. My offer still stands, by the way.” Alastor hummed tapping his mug as he took another sip.

“Offer?”

“To help you kill him.” The radio demon replied coolly, looking into his drink as he swirled it. He really wished he had warmed up milk for himself. He glanced up to see Angel giving him a strange look and the radio demon frowned. The emotion Angel was feeling was…strange. Alastor had never felt this before, a mix between excitement and…regret.

“I…dunno Smiles. Maybe I’ll take you up on that someday.” Angel shrugged, drinking more his tea as they lapsed into another silence. Then: “My mom always told me not to hate him. That he didn’t know how else to show that he cared.”

“Funny, my mother always said the opposite.” Alastor scoffed, taking a long draught of his tea. Calm, he needed to stay calm while taking about this. “She would tell me that it was because he felt intimidated by us and only pathetic men beat women and children.”

“Then I’m guessing she only stayed because they were married, like mine?” Angel asked and Alastor closed his eyes, fighting to keep his emotions under control as he nodded. “Fuckin sucks the time we grew up in huh?”

“Indeed.” Alastor agreed, finishing off his tea and placing his mug in the sink. He watched absently as the water filled the container before returning his attention to Angel. The spider was looking down into his tea and Alastor could feel the spider’s regret and anger as he stared. Angel…hated himself for not doing anything when his mother died and he envied Alastor for being able to get his revenge. The radio demon frowned, unsure what he could say, or if he _should_ say anything. “Would you like another cup, or are you going to sleep?”

“Huh? Oh, nah, I still got tea.” Angel smiled, taking another sip of his rapidly cooling tea as he pulled the blanket tighter. “You sure you won’t be bothered if I take the bed?”

“If I was, I wouldn’t have offered.” Alastor smiled and Angel chuckled in response, nodding slowly as he turned to climb the stairs. The spider paused on the bottom step, chancing a glance back to Alastor. The radio demon nodded, his smile widening. “Good night Anthony.”

“G’night smiles.” Alastor watched until Angel had climbed out of sight, and the radio demon released a heavy breath. That…wasn’t as bad as he thought it might be and Alastor chuckled as he pushed himself off the cabinets and laid back down on his couch. Maybe Rosie had a point: maybe being Soulbound, at least to the right person, wasn’t so bad after all.


	13. My Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He didn’t know…it went this deep. This personal. This…this was something he craved.

Angel hummed as he walked down the darkening street, for once feeling like his afterlife was going pretty well. He munched on the cookie he had helped himself to while at Cherri’s, sighing happily to himself.

Since the night at the tower, Alastor seemed to have forgiven Angel for whatever his transgression had been and had begun to open up to the spider. Alastor did agree to participate in movie night and he always sat between Angel and Husk, although Angel wasn’t sure if it was just a coincidence or to keep the two from fighting. On Angel’s other night off, Alastor sometimes invited him to the radio tower, and they would chat about various things and interests. Angel was surprised to learn that Alastor enjoyed dancing and upon learning that Angel was interested, the radio demon offered to teach him. They had to push back starting as Cherri expressed wanting to spend some time with the spider but Angel couldn’t wait to learn.

“Now if I could only get rid of Valentino and these weird feelings…” Angel muttered to himself, polishing off his cookie. Despite Alastor’s insistence to keep following him to work, Angel was starting to feel like he was taking advantage of the radio demon and as Cherri had pointed out, meant he had a mounting debt to him. After all, it was only because Alastor always remained in Angel’s shadow that Val hadn’t touch the spider, and while Angel was grateful, he wanted a more permanent solution. He had considered bringing up the deal Alastor had offered him when this all started, but Cherri talked him out of it, asking if he really wanted to just “trade owners.”

And then there were the weird feelings. At times, Angel would be overcome by strange emotions and while at first he had been able to write them off as just his intuition trying to warn him. it was becoming increasingly clear that something else was at play. At first he only felt fear and anxiety, but now he would sometimes feel happy, concerned, or irritated, and they always faded away on their own, leaving Angel confused. The _worst_ is when he would become aroused in the middle of the afternoon; if he was working, it wasn’t so bad. He just seemed more into the sex than usual, something Val always approved of.

No, it was on his days off that were the problem and since it always happened around the same time, Angel had learned to plan for it. He would merely excuse himself from whatever company he had, usually Vaggie as she was in charge of his redemption activities and the spider would make it to his room just as the feeling hit him, causing him to moan loudly. The feeling would only grow more intense as he struggled to strip himself fast enough to reach his member. It was the most intense feeling of pleasure Angel had ever felt in his life and if it had been his own, he would have loved it. The problem was that it wasn’t _his._

“Fortunes told! Learn your Future, understand your Present!” Angel paused as he heard the fortuneteller call out her usual lines in front of him and he looked up to see the elegant scorpion demon. The spider often walked by the building without a second thought, merely crossing the street to avoid her and her babbles about ‘learning your future’. Tonight however, Angel was surprised to find himself actually entertaining the notion of stopping in. Maybe, _she_ could tell him what these strange emotions were and where they were coming from and if not, at least he’d know she was full of shit.

The woman beamed at Angel as he drew closer and she giggled softly to herself as he stopped in front of her. She was only slightly shorter than him, her flowing black hair trapped under her blue veil and her tan skin was covered in rough bumps and marks. Her tail swung seductively behind her, the stinger always looking ready to strike.

“Sorry, young man, but if you’re curious to know who you’re Soulbound to, I’m afraid I can’t tell you.” She smiled, her tail rattling behind her. Angel stopped mid-step, giving the teller a confused look.

“Soulbound?”

“Oh dearie, you don’t know?” She lit up, her rattling getting louder as she opened the door for him. “Come inside, and I’ll explain it to you. Oh, it’s been a while since I’ve met a first timer.”

Angel hesitantly stepped into the shop and the first thing he noticed was the intense smell of sage that hit him as soon as he walked it. The scorpion closed the door behind them and quickly motioned Angel forward, using her tail to direct him to a couch underneath a small bookshelf. Angel carefully sat down, closing his eyes as he tried to breath in something other than the incense.

“Uh, so what’s this Soulbound thing you mentioned?” Angel held his lower hands in his lap, using his upper pair to accept the cup she gave him. After sniffing it, he was surprised to learn it was chamomile. “What how did you kno-”

“The scent is all over you, dearie.” The teller smiled, holding out her hands to the spider, indicating for him to take them. Angel reluctantly handed her his lower pair and the scorpion hummed deeply as she stroked his fur, closing her eyes. Angel cautiously sipped on his tea as she hummed, starting to feel awkward with the way she was holding his hands. Maybe he shouldn’t have bothered with this nonsense.

Just as the spider thought this, the teller released him, her smile still bright on her face. “Yes, this is your first bond and such a strong one too, what a lucky fellow. Quite lucky indeed.”

“Yea, well what is it? What is Soulbound?” Angel repeated, starting to get annoyed. He still had a curfew to meet and she seemed to be purposefully avoiding his question. The teller smiled, motioning to a chart behind her. It seems to be a chart of bindings in Heaven and Hell and Angel stared at it curiously while she spoke.

“Here in Hell, there are many kind of bonds that bind us together. Contracts, deals, love, all different ways to bind your afterlife to another.” Angel flinched as the scorpion said contract, but if she noticed, she didn’t show it, continuing with her explanation. “But those are all chosen, based off the choices you make while you’re here. Being Soulbound, that is a choice your _soul makes._

“Some people are never Bound, others find themselves Bound multiple times to multiple partners. It all depends on the soul and what it needs.” The teller smiled a toothy grin at the spider. “You have been having feelings that don’t belong to you, yes? Pain and Pleasure that isn’t yours?”

“Yeah, how didja kno-”

“That’s a bond at work.” She interrupted, touching her head and heart with her hands. Angel watched her mesmerized, entranced by her words and actions. “When you are Soulbound, your mind and heart become attuned to the one your soul has chosen, allowing you to feel their pain and share their emotions. If the bond fully matures, eventually, you can share their thoughts.”

“Fully matures?” Angel asked, now leaning forward in his seat. He had heard Cherri talking about being bonded with someone, but he always assumed she just meant dating. He didn’t know…it went this deep. This _personal. This…this was something he craved._

“Yes, because it is possible to let a bond fade. You can only be bonded with someone you’ve met many times, even if you are not that aware of them.” The teller’s voice dropped and her smile faded into a frown. “If one or both parties ignore the bond or refuse to ever acknowledge it, the bond will die and the two souls will no longer be Bound. Over time, the souls may become Bound to someone else, but it is never certain.”

“Does…does being Soulbound override other bonds?” Angel asked cautiously, his heart pounding as he waited for the answer. This…this could be his way out, his way to be free of Val forever. Even if the person he was Soulbound to didn’t want him, if he could just convince them to entertain the bond long enough to free him from Val, then maybe…he could actually pursue a relationship with someone else. Someone who actually cared about him and wanted him around, someone like…

_Alastor._

“Yes, it does.” Was the teller’s simple answer and Angel immediately stood, placing his cup down on the couch behind him. He quickly thanked the teller for her time, pressing some bills into her hand before rushing off into the night. He would be cutting it close to make it back before curfew, but this…to learn this was worth being yelled at by Vaggie or Charlie. All he needed to do was figure out who he was Soulbound too, right? It shouldn’t be that hard, as she said it had to be someone he had met many times. It couldn’t be any of the other actor at the Studios, actually due to the fact that Angel spent most his time with them, he would’ve realized sooner if he was sharing any of their emotions.

It couldn’t have been Cherri: she would’ve just told him instead of saying she was Bound to someone else. Meaning Angel knew it had to either be a repeat client or someone at the hotel and both of those lists were small enough that he should have no trouble narrowing it down to who it actually was.

“Yes! Fuck you Val!” Angel screamed into the night air, pumping his fist as he saw the Hotel come into sight. Things were really looking up Angel for the first time since he woke up in this Hellhole and he couldn’t have been any happier.


	14. My Heartache

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was…Soulbound to Husk? No. No, no no he couldn’t be Bound to Husk.

Angel bounced into the Hotel, smiling broadly as Vaggie waited just inside the Hotel for him, her arms crossed across her chest. The spider gave her a snarky smile as the moth glanced over to the clock, huffing as she walked away. It was close, but Angel had managed to arrive back just before the clock could reach nine. Angel shook his fists, his smile glued to his face. Another victory for him.

“Cosmo please~” Angel called out, sliding into his seat at the bar. Husk merely grunted as usual as he turned to make the spider’s drink, but tonight Angel didn’t care. There was nothing the cat could do to affect the spider’s mood tonight and he merely blew Husk a kiss as he accepted his drink. Alastor had said he would meet him at the bar once the spider came back from Cherri’s and he couldn’t wait to share the good news with the radio demon.

“What’s gotten you so happy? Finally got some good dick?” Angel’s smile twitched slightly as Husk spoke, but he merely giggled as he took a sip of his drink. He shook his head, licking his lips as his smiled returned.

“Nope, something better.” Angel hummed, looking down into his pink drink. _Yes, something much better._

“Yea, and what could that possibly be?”

“I just found out that I’m finally Soulbound to someone.” Angel felt his heart skip a beat at saying the word out loud, but he fought to keep smiling. He placed his drink back on the counter, leaning on the surface to gaze at the various bottles behind the bar. “I just have to figure out who.”

“Give it up kid, they don’t want _you._ ” Husk spat and Angel closed his eyes, trying to control his anger. Husk just couldn’t cut him a break, not even when the spider was genuinely happy about something. Angel giggled again, trying to do his best to not let the cat’s words get to him. “No one would be happy to be Soulbound to a slut like you.”

“They don’t have to like it.” Angel cooed, taking another sip of his drink. Although it would be nice for _someone_ not to frown on him because of his chosen profession. “I just wanna ask them for a favor and then they can break the bond of whatever. I know who I want to be with.”

“Yeah who might that be? Maybe that fucking Moth who would beating your ass if it wasn’t for Al-”

“WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SUCH A FUCKING DICK?!” Angel finally screamed, knocking his glass off the bar, causing the drink to shatter against the far wall. His heart pounded in his chest and he couldn’t help the overwhelming anger that filled him. He wasn’t sure if it was all his own, but he was _sick_ of Husk treating him like he was lower than dirt. “What did I ever do to you? I’m just trying to fucking get by.”

“You exist.”

“And that’s all it fucking takes for you to _hate me?_ ” Angel couldn’t help as the hot tears ran down his face. _Fuck,_ he really did not want to cry in front of Husk, but that’s just how the spider was when he got angry. “I never did anything to you. I just want to be _happy_ for _fucking once in this shitty afterlife._ ”

“You’re better off ignoring the fucking bond. No one is going to entertain it for you.” Was Husk’s only reply as he drank from his bottle and Angel pounded his fists into the counter.

“ _And how would you fucking know?!_ ”

“Because it’s me, and I ain’t interested.” Angel’s anger almost immediately faded and he stared at the cat wide-eyed as Husk took another swig from his drink. He was…Soulbound to Husk? No. No, no no he couldn’t be Bound to Husk, that…that was…

“You…it can’t be…” Angel stammered and the cat hissed, glaring at the spider as Angel fell back in his seat. Husk stood to his full height, carefully placing his bottle on the bar as he stood and Angel felt his heart sink more as the cat looked down on him. _Just as he always did._

“And why the fuck not? Like I said, I have no intention of humoring a fucking bond with someone like you. _I may be a drunk but I have fucking standards._ ” The cat hissed. “I’ve been trying to push you away for fucking months but your dumb ass can’t take a hint.”

“But…”

“I don’t _fucking_ care, Angel. I’m happily Bound to Niffty and I ain’t interested in humoring you.” Husk reiterated, leaning against the bar to get close into Angel’s face. The spider leaned back and he could feel his heart breaking in his chest as Husk glared at him. Husk could feel his pain, could feel his sadness and he… “ _You ain’t worth my time._ ”

“I just…”

“ _No._ ”

“Husk, _please-_ ”

“ _No, Angel Dust. I. Don’t. Care._ ” The cat hissed and Angel felt his heart shatter with every word. More tears began to pour down his fur and Angel dropped his head down to the bar. How…how could Husk _feel_ how broken he was and not care? Why wouldn’t the cat at least hear him out? How could Husk be so _heartless?_ “Now, take your pathetic ass somewhere else. All this stupid heartache of yours is giving me a headache.”

“You’re worse than Valentino.” Angel muttered and he heard as Husk lifted his bottle from the counter, turning away from the spider to continue drinking. Angel glanced up, glaring through his tears as his anger returned. Or was it even his anger? _Did it even fucking matter?_

“Maybe, but I don’t want your filthy ass soul.” Husk shrugged. “ ** _Now leave._** ”

“Fucking fine. I can’t wait to be free of your crusty old ass anyway.” Angel spat, standing from the bar. He quickly wiped away his tears as he turned, doing his best to stand tall. Just like that, Husk had crushed what little happiness Angel had and taken away all of the spider’s hope. Even if his bond with Husk did fade, how long would it be before he was Bound to someone else? Would they care anymore than Husk had?

“Ah, Anthony, there…” Angel looked up sharply as he saw Alastor walking toward him, and their eyes met across the lobby. It was then that Angel did something he never thought he would do: he threw himself in Alastor’s arms and started crying. The radio demon held him awkwardly, as if he wasn’t sure what to do with the spider in his arms, but Angel clung to Alastor’s coat tightly, not knowing who else he could turn to. “Anth-Angel, what’s wrong? What happened?”

“Just…just let me cry for a bit.” The spider hiccupped, pressing his face into Alastor’s coat. God, Alastor smelled awful this close, but at the moment, Angel didn’t care. The spider felt as the pair sunk into the floor and he wasn’t surprised at all to find himself in Alastor’s tower, far away from prying eyes. The radio demon carefully sat them on the couch and Angel continued crying into Alastor’s jacket, until he cried himself to sleep.

He would never be free.


	15. My Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That could make the situation worse as then Angel’s anger would be directed at him, and he didn’t know what he would do if he had to face that rejection head on.

Alastor watched as the spider snored softly in his lap, Angel’s overwhelming sadness and heartache finally leaving him. The radio demon sighed heavily, leaning his head back against his couch as he gently rested his hand on Angel’s fur, messing up the spider’s carefully maintained hair.

Alastor had been resting quietly in his office when Angel’s explosive anger awoke him from his nap. The radio demon had groaned, allowing his chair to spring forward as he removed his shoes from the desk and began to walk toward the source of the disturbance. He had been about to walk into the bar when he heard Husk claim to be Bound to the spider and the words had stopped Alastor mid-step. He hadn’t asked for the cat to lie for him and the immediate shock and fear that filled him was doubled by Angel’s own surprise.

It had taken all of Alastor’s self-control not to cry out as the pain settled in and he could _feel_ Angel’s disappointment, his fear, his pain at the rejection. Husk’s words had utterly destroyed the spider and Alastor had been forced to retreat back to his office, lest he reveal his presence. He had never wanted to feel that kind of pain again: the knife of rejection and disappointment and the radio demon couldn’t help the black tears that had dripped from his own eyes as Angel had pleaded with the cat.

The pain was temporarily eased as Alastor’s own anger at Husk overpowered Angel’s heartache, allowing the radio demon to compose himself temporarily. _How dare Husk cause him pain like this?_ He hadn’t told the cat he could feel the spider’s emotions, _but it was not his place to step in like this._ The anger was what allowed Alastor to appear fine while he waited for Angel in the lobby, and thanks to the spider’s own ignorance, Angel was none to wiser as he threw himself into the radio’s arms. Alastor had immediately began to teleport them to his tower, although his eyes met Husk’s as they sunk into the floor. The cat was giving him a confused glare and Alastor merely glared back, another black tear starting to roll down his cheek as Angel’s heartache set back in.

However, Alastor was now in a worse position than before: what would he do when the spider woke up? Husk had already claimed to be the one Angel was Soulbound too and even if Alastor did tell him the truth, the spider would have to question why the cat lied in the first place. Once Angel knew the truth, there would be no hiding Alastor’s own emotions and Angel would assume Husk was lying for the radio demon. That could make the situation worse as then Angel’s anger would be directed at _him,_ and he didn’t know what he would do if he had to face that rejection head on.

“ _Merde_ ….” Alastor breathed, letting the word flow from his lips as he closed his eyes, rubbing Angel’s fur. No, it would be better to keep up his charade for now, until he could find the right time to say something. He had no desire to feel any more pain tonight, and he had no intention of allowing Angel to experience more heartbreak either. They had both had enough for one evening.

“Al…” The radio demon glanced down as Angel softly whispered his name and he could see that Angel’s eyes were open, although he still clutched the radio demon’s coat tightly. Alastor felt the spider’s uncertainty and he softly began to stroke Angel’s waist, careful to keep his hand on clothing.

“Yes?”

“Have you…” Angel’s voice drifted and Alastor’s felt his heart stop. The spider sighed, closing his eyes again. “Have you ever been rejected before?”

_The one as bad as the other._ Alastor had been afraid he would ask if he had been Soulbound but this…this was just as bad. Alastor slowly lifted Angel up from his lap as he turned away, and he could feel the spider’s eyes on him. The radio demon was lucky that Angel was already in pain, else his secret would have been exposed right then. Alastor kept his eyes to the floor, clutching his heart closely. _Useless thing._

“I…have.” Alastor breathed, closing his eyes as he tried to decide how honest he wanted to be. He had found it easier to open up to Angel as time went on, but this was a scar on him that would never heal. It was always fresh, and it was a reminder as to why he would never let another worm their way into his heart again. Alastor was surprised as tears began to roll down his cheeks again and he was uncertain if they were his own or Angel’s.

“Is…is that why you don’t like connections with others?” Angel offered and Alastor turned back to see the spider watching him, tears still rolling down his face. Alastor nodded slowly, and he watched as Angel reached back out to him, this time pulling the radio demon against him. Alastor allowed himself to bury his face into Angel’s soft chest fur, taking a deep breath. He had never realized how good Angel smelled before, and he wrapped his arms tightly around the spider, breathing in more of that sweet smell. “After tonight, I don’t blame you.”

“May I ask what happened?” Alastor sighed. _As if he didn’t already know._

“Husk…was being a dick, more like usual.” Angel breathed and the radio demon fought to hide his confusion, instead opting to slide his hand under Angel’s shirt to touch the spider’s fur. _Why was Angel lying to him…why didn’t the spider want him to know? **What** didn’t the spider want him to know?_ “I’ll be okay, I just…need some time to get over it.”

“Hmm.” Alastor breathed, burying his face back into Angel’s fur. Was he one to complain if Angel lied to him? He had been lying to the spider since this all began, and he was only burying himself deeper in his own lie. He ran his hand along the spider’s soft fur, his heart aching with their joined sadness. He needed to find a way to cheer Angel up, to bring them both out of this pit…

“Uh, Al?”

“Yes, Anthony?” Alastor looked up from the spider’s chest to see Angel giving him a soft smile.

“Your hand. Not that I mind.” Alastor looked at the spider confused for a moment but he realized where his hand had wondered to in his absent thinking. His hand…he had started to slip his hand _underneath_ the spider’s shorts and the radio demon quickly pulled back, moving back to the other side of the couch as Angel laughed. A bright blush spread across Alastor’s face as he felt Angel’s mirth fill him and Alastor laughed nervously as the spider wiped away his tears. Angel smiled at the radio demon, leaning seductively across the couch. Alastor looked away quickly, _praying to Lucifer_ that Angel would not feel his embarrassment. “Got something on your mind, Al?”

“No, Anthony, I assure you, it was purely an accide-”

“I don’t usually have people _accidentally_ touch my ass, Al.” The spider teased, using two of his hands to pull Alastor’s hands away from his face. The radio demon did his best to keep his eyes on his radio in the corner, trying to ignore the _lustful confidence_ that was pouring off the spider. Underneath the lust however, Alastor could still feel Angel’s sadness and he recognized that Angel was just doing this to take his mind off of Husk. “ _Don’t have to be ashamed of having needs. This is a lot to resist after all._ ”

“I assure you, it’s not all that hard to resist.” Alastor smiled, allowing Angel’s confidence to fill him. If this is what it took to make Angel feel better, then he could play along. The radio demon glanced to the floor, motioning for his Shadow to rise. The creature slinked up silently from the ground, looming behind the naïve spider. Alastor glanced down, pretending to examine the spider’s body as Angel kept his arms pinned, running his lower hands down the radio demon’s sides. “It seems that you are the one having a hard time resisting _me._ ”

“ _What can I say?_ You’ve given me a new appreciation for cannibals.” Angel chuckled, a sound which Alastor mimicked before snapping his fingers. The Shadow quickly grabbed the spider, yanking Angel back against the couch as it pinned all of his limbs. Rather than mad or surprised however, Angel merely chuckled, although Alastor felt the slight sense of fear that rose in the spider. “Hey that’s cheating.”

“Oh, I didn’t know there were _rules_ to this game.” The radio demon chuckled, standing from the couch as he slowly dragged his hand up the spider’s leg. He watched and felt as Angel started to become aroused, his eyes locked on Alastor’s hand as he dragged his glove up the spider’s leg, over his shorts, past his chest, resting his hand under the spider’s chin. The radio demon took a deep breath as he fought to keep himself under control, fought to keep Angel’s arousal from overwhelming him. “ _Anything else I should know, Mon cher?_ ”

“ _No~_ ” Angel breathed and Alastor chuckled, cradling Angel’s chin in his hand as he watched the spider hungrily. _Maybe…maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to have a taste of the spider. After all, Angel’s soul was **his,** why not his body? _Alastor licked his lips as he considered this, sliding his fingers around to the spider’s lips. Angel parted them willingly, allowing the radio demon to slide the tip of his glove inside and his Shadow tightened its hold as the spider sucked gently. Alastor felt his own arousal growing with Angel’s and he gripped Angel’s face tighter, releasing a shaky breath…

_Wait. What was he doing?!_

Alastor’s eyes widened as he slid his hand away from the spider, snapping for his Shadow to return to his feet as he walked into the kitchen. Alastor began the familiar action of making tea and he breathed a quiet sigh of relief as Angel’s emotions left him, the spider sitting up on the couch. _That…that was close._ Alastor kept his back to Angel as he pulled out the kettle, setting the pot in the sink.

“Mind if I try something different tonight?” Alastor’s heart jumped as he heard Angel’s voice behind him, but he forced himself to swallow the organ back down.

“Of course not Anthony, you can try any tea you’d like.” Alastor brought out his collection as he focused on filling the kettle, keeping his back to the spider as Angel walked over to the counter to look over his options. Alastor closed his eyes as the water ran, his thoughts returning to the bond. He was so adamant that he was only doing this to protect himself but in that moment…Alastor had _wanted_ Angel.

“ _Merde…_ ” Alastor cursed under his breath again, moving the kettle to the stove as he set about making their tea. The longer this went on, the more uncertain Alastor became about what he wanted out of it.

And if he could let Angel go at all.


	16. Your Heartache

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Could he do the same? Could he just…accept that he wanted Angel?

Alastor sat on his couch, humming along to the radio as he read his book. He absently reached to pick up his tea and took a sip, frowning at the strange taste. He glanced back to the small end table and chuckled to himself, realizing he had picked up the wrong cup.

Thanks to the cat’s interference, Angel had begun to spend more time at Alastor’s radio tower than he did at the Hotel. When questioned by Charlie about this, the spider had made up some excuse about Alastor teaching him how to read, something Alastor had been surprised by. He never knew that Angel was illiterate and after having Angel confirm it in private, did begin teaching the spider. Luckily, Angel was a fast learner and had made great progress in only a few days.

The radio demon carefully marked his progress amongst the pages, standing as he moved Angel’s cold mug to the kitchen and refreshed his own tea. Angel had asked to spend the night, something Alastor had at first been against, but after feeling Angel’s fear and heartache at having to face Husk, the Overlord caved. Now the spider was asleep in the bedroom above and Alastor sighed, watching the steam that rose from his fresh cup.

This…would become an issue as time went on, Alastor giving in to Angel’s emotions. Husk’s actions had put Alastor in a tight spot and the radio demon felt his anger start to rise again. Angel was not the only one avoiding the Hotel, as Alastor had also barely been by, preferring to stay at his tower to avoid facing the cat. He knew eventually he would have to confront and punish Husk for what he had done, but Alastor was more concerned with keeping Angel safe and happy. Once Angel had gotten over his heartache and he could tell him the truth, then he could deal with Husk.

A gentle knock came to Alastor’s door and he looked up as Rosie helped herself in. The demoness closed her umbrella, smiling brightly at her fellow Overlord and the radio demon couldn’t help his strained smile. The _last_ time Rosie had visited him, he had drunk himself into a foolish stupor and he had no doubt that it was her intention to rile him up again. The demoness removed her coat and hat, hanging both besides the spider’s jacket as she made herself comfortable.

“Ah, good, I was worried you might be asleep already.” Rosie beamed, settling herself on the couch as Alastor turned to make her a cup of tea. “How lucky I am to catch you.”

“The night is far too young to be asleep already.” The radio smiled, fighting a yawn as he poured the warm water. He slowly walked back to the couch, sitting beside Rosie as he handed her the drink. She accepted it with a nod, closing her eyes as she breathed in the sweet aroma. “What brings you by this time?”

“Oh, just a strange rumor I heard.” The Overlord shrugged, taking a sip of her drink as Alastor waited. She opened her eyes to slits as she looked down at Alastor, her lips curled into a devious smile. “Mimzy is back in the Pentagram.”

_Crash._

Alastor brought his hand to his face, taking a deep breath as he stood, carefully stepping around his broken mug. Rosie watched with interest as he moved to clean up the mess, using a towel to soak up the tea and carefully picking up every shard of the mug. He allowed the shards to float slightly above his hand, slowly coming back together to recreate the cup. It was his favorite, after all.

“Is that so?” Alastor finally breathed, taking the fixed cup back to the kitchen to make another cup of tea. Maybe he should add some whiskey if they were going to talk about… _her._ “I thought she was happy where she was.”

“Apparently it’s only temporary. Some business deal or something.” Rosie shrugged, slipping her own tea as she looked to the towel on the floor. “Like I said, it’s merely a rumor, as I haven’t seen her myself yet.”

“Hmm.” Alastor responded, his chest filling with his own ache for once. He avoided Rosie’s eyes as he made his way back to the couch, taking his seat beside her once more. He felt as she shifted on the couch beside him and Alastor looked up to see Rosie looking down at him with concern. “What?”

“How long is it going to bother you, Alastor?” Rosie finally asked, setting her mug down on the table as she folded her hands in her lap. Alastor turned away from that look, not wanting to see Rosie’s expression. “Why can’t you just… _move on?_ Accept that she’s done the same?”

“You make it sound as if it should be simple.” Alastor smiled, but it was an empty and hollow gesture. Inside his chest ached with a pain greater than anything Angel had ever caused him to feel and he prayed it would not wake the spider sleeping upstairs. He sipped on his tea, regretting his decision to abstain from alcohol. “It…isn’t.”

“Hmmm.” Rosie hummed, retrieving her cup as they lapsed into silence. Then: “Oh, did I ever tell you the name of the person I was bonded too?”

“No, although if she is a friend of Angel’s, I’m sure I already know.” Alastor chuckled and Rosie joined him, tapping her mug lovingly. Alastor chanced a look up and he was surprised by the soft look he saw on the demoness’ face. Rosie had dropped her façade for once and the radio demon could see the soft happiness that filled her eyes, as well as the soft fear. A look he was starting to know too well.

“Cherri is quite the change of pace, I will admit. I find myself enjoying her company more than I thought I would.” The Overlord admitted, a soft sound escaping her as she tapped her cup again. “Her language could use some adjusting, but I am finding myself…wanting more from her.”

“Oh?”

“Yes.” Rosie admitted, turning to look at Alastor. The radio demon was wary of the demoness’ intentions in talking about this, but there was an odd sense of truth to her words. “Initially when I revealed that we were Soulbound, I told her I only wanted to see how the bond felt as it matured and once I was satisfied, I would break it. She seemed a little hurt by my words, but she ultimately agreed.”

“Now you are unsure if…” Alastor let his sentence hang. _Now why did this sound familiar?_

“I want to break it at all. Once emotions became shared, I found myself becoming more protective of my little cyclops. I tried to pull away at first, but then I was pulled right back in.” Rosie chuckled softly to herself, her black eyes staring into her equally dark beverage. Alastor watched curiously, his own heart pounding in his chest as he considered his own situation. While he had never _intended_ to humor the bond between him and Angel, Rosie’s words mimicked what had happened to Alastor when he had tried to distance himself from the spider. Of course, it had been Rosie’s actions that had pushed them back together, but it had happened nonetheless. “Now, I…I am unsure if my desire to have her is my own, or if I am just being selfish.”

“Selfish?”

“Not that _you_ would know, but it is not pleasant to feel the pain of another’s emotions.” Rosie offered, still avoiding Alastor’s gaze. “I want to see her happy and smiling, but is it truly because that is what I want, or am I just trying to protect myself from pain?”

“At least you care.” Both Rosie and Alastor looked up, the pair shocked to see Angel standing on the stairs, and the radio demon was hit with Angel’s overwhelming sadness. He fought to keep tears from spilling from his eyes as Angel came further down the stairs, his pink eyes locked on Rosie. “At least you care enough to not want her to feel pain.”

“But do I truly care if it is only to protect myself?” Rosie challenged, and Alastor felt as the spider’s heartache grew. Angel clutched his shirt tightly, his hand over his heart as he looked down to his feet. The radio demon wanted to do something, say _anything_ to ease Angel’s suffering, but he knew reacting would reveal his secret. So he remained silent, watching as the two spoke, listening as Rosie spoke his own fears and worries. “How can I know if what I’m feeling is truly my own?”

“You aren’t letting her suffer in silence. It might not be perfect, but that shows that you care about her.” Angel whispered, tears starting to drip down his face. “You could just ignore the bond, let her suffer alone until it breaks. Let her die inside while you go about your life unbothered.”

_Like Husk._ Alastor filled in the spider’s silent words and then Alastor’s eyes widen as the realization dawned on him. _Like **me**._

“Anthony,” Alastor slowly stood, carefully making his way over to his guest. Angel hiccupped, wiping away his tears as the radio demon reached him and the spider tried to smile. Alastor shook his head, gently placing his hand on Angel’s shoulder. “It’s alright.”

“I’m sorry, Smiles. I woke up and I…heard ya talking about Cherri.”

“It’s fine, Anthony, but you should get some more rest.” Alastor cooed, doing his best to sound soft and reassuring. “The night is still young and I still have more to teach you before you return to Charlotte tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I know. Sorry again.” Alastor sighed as Angel’s heartache was somewhat relieved with his words, and he smiled brightly up at the spider demon. Angel’s own smile seemed a bit less forced and the radio demon allowed his hand to linger as the spider turned to climb back up to the bedroom. Alastor remained on the steps until he heard the door close and he released the breath he was holding, turning back to face Rosie. As he suspected, the demoness had a broad, knowing grin on her face and her eyes remained locked on his as she sipped her tea.

“When are you going to tell him?” She offered and Alastor shook his head, his smile fading.

“I knew Husk told you.”

“Of course. He was quite easy to persuade.” The Overlord chuckled, her dark eyes still locked on Alastor. “I was just as surprised as him to learn you hadn’t broken it yet, so I wanted to see if I…could push you a little. You need to move past her already.”

“Hmph.” Alastor huffed, taking his seat beside his fellow Overlord as he rushed to finished his cooling tea. Rosie giggled again at the radio demon’s reaction, standing to take her mug into the kitchen.

“It’s not as if I _did_ anything Alastor dear. You still could have broken the bond at any time, but you have chosen not to.” Rosie hummed, quietly placing her cup in the sink before turning to give Alastor a snide smile, nodding to the spider’s coat that hung next to her own. “So, do you agree with little Angel? Is this proof that you _do_ care?”

“It’s…something.” Alastor conceded, thinking back to the night Husk had lied. He _knew_ to some extent, his desire to take care of Angel was his own and not because of their bond. It had been the bond that had brought these desires to light, but it was not the cause. “What of you? What will you do with Miss Cherri?”

“Oh, I already know that I want her and being Soulbound lets me keep her.” Rosie laughed, leaning against the counter as she smiled broadly. “I have no intention of letting her go, even If I _do_ want her for the wrong reasons. I have decided that she is mine and nothing will change that.”

“Hmm.” Alastor hummed thoughtfully, looking down into his empty cup. Could he do the same? Could he just…accept that he wanted Angel? There was still the matter with Valentino, but if he continued allowing the bond to develop, eventually it would override any claim the moth had to the spider’s soul.

Alastor chuckled as he thought this: to think only a few months ago he had been so against the idea of using the bond to free Angel from Valentino’s torment. And yet here he was, still Bound to the spider and entertaining the very same idea. How twisted irony could be.

“Well, I’ll leave you to think about it.” Rosie finally pushed herself off the counter as Alastor stood and he watched as the demoness retrieved her coat and hat. The Overlord paused with her door on the handle, glancing back over her shoulder as she smiled coyly at Alastor. “And if you decide to pursue the spider, let me know. I would love for the four of us to go out sometime.”

With that, Rosie stepped out into the chilly night, leaving Alastor alone with his thoughts and the sleeping spider above him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, you guys know me. This is your first NSFW//TW warning. The next chapter is smut, while touching on a touchy subject. Proceed with caution.


	17. My Desire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW Warning: Mild Sexual Content  
> TW// Mention of Fetishization/Oversexualization

Angel closed his eyes as he collapsed back down into the bed, his chest still aching slightly. He had woken up from a crash downstairs and his heart had pounded with worry as he waited to see if something was wrong. All remained still beneath him, so he had silently slipped out of the bedroom, wanting to see what had cause the sound. He was surprised to hear another’s voice and he recognized it as Rosie, the demon Cherri said she was Bound too. His heart and stomach twisted into knots as he listened to the Overlord voice her concerns and he was unable to stop himself from speaking up.

“Better than what I got, lucky bitch.” Angel breathed, opening his eyes as he traced circles into the bed. So what if Rosie was only doing it to protect herself: she was still helping Cherri out and the cyclops seemed to enjoy her Overlord beau. They were both happy, and both getting what they wanted out of the bond. More than Angel could say for either of his.

“Anthony?” Angel quickly closed his eyes as he heard the door open and Alastor’s heels clacked on the floor as he stepped into the room. The spider listened as the radio demon paused, a sigh escaping him. “Asleep. That’s…fine.”

Angel opened his eyes again as the door closed once more, and he couldn’t help the tears that started in his eyes. Why wouldn’t Husk at least hear him out? All he wanted was to be free of Valentino and the moth’s control: free to start over and do what he wanted with his afterlife. Has he really so horrible, so _disgusting_ that the cat wasn’t even willing to listen?

“More like he’s jealous of all the time Alastor is spending with me.” The spider huffed, trying to do anything to shift his heartache. “Serves the dick right. I didn’t ask to be Soulbound to him.”

The spider rolled onto his back, staring up at the dark ceiling. For a moment he thought he could see Alastor’s red eyes in the shadows above him, but he shook his head, realizing that it was just the shape of the lights in the bedroom. A little creepy, but a nice reminder of where he was. Far away from Husk, far away from Valentino.

“Alastor…” Angel breathed, closing his eyes as he remembered how the Shadow had grabbed him that night, pinning him to the couch while the radio demon had dragged his hand up the spider’s body. Sure, Alastor had looked like he wanted to _eat_ Angel more than he wanted to _fuck_ him, but that look in the Overlord’s eye, it had aroused Angel far more than he wanted to admit. The spider bit his lip as he slid his hand into his shorts, gripping his member tightly as he remembered the sultry way the radio demon had spoken to him.

“ _Anything else I should know, Mon Cher~?_ ” Angel moaned aloud as he began to stroke himself slowly, remembering the feel of Alastor’s gloved hand on his chin. He brought one of his other hands to his mouth, gently sucking on the finger as he had done to the radio demon, his eyes fluttering as he used his free pair to grip his chest. Running his hands all along his fur, imagining, wishing they belonged to the radio demon until his hands dropped lower.

Angel’s chest ached for a moment as he slid another hand into his shorts, gently touching his wet slit. The spider usually avoided touching this part of his anatomy: not that he hated it, he hated that _it_ was the reason Valentino would never let him go. Just like on Earth, intersex demons were rare and the moth had been able to capitalize on Angel’s unique body and the spider shook his head as he closed his eyes, slowing spreading his juices. He didn’t want to think of Val: no, he wanted to think of _Alastor_ , and the radio demon didn’t care about this.

“Alastor~” Angel moaned again, rolling over on the bed as he arched his back, still teasing his eager opening as he continued stroking himself. He could see Alastor’s burning red eyes looming over him, that burning gaze of hunger that made the spider want to squirm and beg to be eaten. He began to stroke himself harder, his shorts becoming wet with his pre-cum. “ _Toccami, ti prego.”_

 _“And where should I touch you, little Anthony?”_ Angel buried his face into the pillow to keep from crying out, his fingers stroking around his wet opening as he imagined Alastor would. Knowing _exactly_ what the spider desired, but purposefully withholding, making him beg, making him plead, making him squirm under his touch. “ _You need to tell me, Angel~_ ”

“ _Ah~,_ _Dentro, toccami dentro!”_ The spider moaned loudly as he finally slipped his fingers inside his eager hole and unable to help himself any longer, began fucking himself with wild abandon. He moaned loudly into the sheets, still trying to keep his voice from reaching the demon down below him, lest Alastor come and find him in this position. Some part of him did want the radio demon to find him, to see the spider’s wanton lust and desire for him and his Fantasy Alastor chuckled, leaning close to Angel’s ear as he pounded those gloved fingers inside him.

“ _Is this what you want, petite cher?_ ”

“ _Di Più! Più veloce! Ti prego, Alastor!”_ Angel moaned into the sheets, his body responding as his fingers reacted to his pleas, the Fantasy Alastor giving him what he begged for. The spider could feel himself growing close and he buried his face into the sheets more as his vision leaned close to him, and he could feel the radio demon’s hot breath against his fur. _Fuck, he could feel his arousal: he could feel how much Alastor wanted him, how much the radio demon wanted to see him climax._

 _“Ah~ ALASTOR~”_ The spider lifted his head from the bed, doing his best to cover his mouth as he erupted inside his shorts, milking himself for every drop. The spider shivered in the afterglow of his orgasm, sliding his fingers out and slowly rolling onto his back to keep from leaking onto Alastor’s bed. He doubted the _real_ Alastor would appreciate such a mess and Angel sighed as he lifted his hand to look at his own fluids, playing with the semen on his hands.

“Just friends, huh?” The spider whispered to himself, sitting up as he swung his legs off the bed, sitting on the edge of the surface. That _had_ been all he wanted from Alastor, but the more time he spent near the radio demon, the more Angel was starting to want something else, something he knew it was dangerous to ask for. Even if…even if Alastor wanted the same thing, Valentino would never let his little cash cow slip away so easily. “Maybe I should just take the deal…”

“Angel?” The spider jumped as he heard the knock on the door and he quickly hid his hand behind his back and used his lower pair to cover his lap as Alastor once again opened the door. The radio demon seemed a bit frazzled as if he had just woken up and Angel did his best to smile. “I heard you say my name. Is everything alright?”

_Fuck._ “Yea, yea, I uh…” Angel racked his brain for a reasonable excuse while Alastor stood up a little straighter, attempting to sort out his turtleneck. “I just…I needed to know if you had a bathroom?”

“It’s on the first floor.” Alastor nodded, motioning for Angel to follow him. Angel stood, carefully pulling his shirt down enough to hide his stained shorts and he kept his hand behind his back as he climbed down the stairs behind the radio demon. His eyes were glued to Alastor’s small deer tail, and for a moment, Angel felt a desire to touch it. The chance passed however as they reached the bottom of the steps and Alastor motioned toward a door the spider had never noticed before.

“Thanks,” Angel managed to smile and he quickly made his way to the door, about to walk in when Alastor’s voice stopped him.

“There is a spare pair of shorts in there, if you would like to change out of yours.” Angel turned wide eyed to look at the radio demon, but Alastor was already the couch, his back to the spider. Angel managed to squeak out a half-hearted “Thanks” before dashing into the bathroom, allowing the door to hide him from the radio. How…how had Alastor known his shorts were a mess? Did he…know what Angel had been doing?

“ _In cosa mi sono cacciato_?” Angel breathed, looking up to see a pair of shorts laid perfectly across the sink for him. He brought his clean hand to his mouth, unable to help the smile that started across his face.

_Maybe he wasn’t the only one who wanted more._


	18. Finally

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> But it was too late for that, as Alastor felt Angel’s soft lips touch his own and his grip on the spider tightened.

Alastor stared at the door to his radio tower, his heart pounding as he waited for the knock he knew would come. After all, he had promised to teach the spider to dance, and Angel had been so excited he had immediately rushed back to the Hotel to change into something more appropriate.

Alastor had allowed Angel to spend the last three nights in his tower and while Vaggie complained that Alastor would “allow Angel to sink back into his old ways”, Charlie was more than ecstatic. She seemed to think that Alastor would be a good influence on Angel and the radio demon chuckled as he remembered the princess’ words. What he would give to be that naïve.

While he waited, Alastor’s thoughts turned to that first night that Angel had stayed with him and the radio demon couldn’t help the blush that came to his face. He had been slightly disappointed to find that Angel had already fallen back asleep: he was hoped to reveal the truth while he was feeling brave enough to do so, but with the spider asleep, he didn’t want to wake him. The radio demon wearily climbed back down the steps, only to be surprised by the feelings of arousal that began as he reached the first floor.

He laid down on the couch as he sent his Shadow to check on the spider, surprised to see that not only was Angel awake, the spider was…pleasuring himself. Alastor hadn’t known Angel was intersex, and it was interesting to watch Angel touch himself, all while allowing the radio demon’s name to flow from his lips like water. Alastor didn’t understand much of the Italian the spider spoke, but it was…interesting to watch and feel as the spider’s pleasure grew. Alastor resisted the urge to touch himself, allowing the spider’s pleasure and orgasm to satisfy his own desires.

“Sorry Smiles, Vaggie was being a bitch.” Angel finally stepped back into the tower, shivering under his coat. Alastor’s smile widened as he nodded, watching as Angel shrugged off the clothing and hung it next to the door. Angel then turned shyly to the radio demon, attempting to cover himself up with his hands. “You said wear something comfortable. No heels, like ya asked.”

“You…are good, Anthony.” Alastor hummed his words as he looked over the spider, taking in his new outfit. Angel was wearing a flowing yellow crop top with long sleeves that billowed, the sheer material still allowing the radio demon to see the spider’s pink markings underneath. Paired with the shirt was a long black skirt, and Alastor was surprised to see that Angel owned such a conservative piece of clothing. The skirt flowed around him as he walked, and Alastor had to force himself to look up to meet the spider’s face. “Are you ready or did you want to relax before we begin?”

“I’m ready, unless you want to relax first.” Angel blushed as Alastor chuckled, the spider’s excitement spilling over to him. The radio demon pushed himself off his counter and, taking the spider’s hand, led him to the space he had cleared away for their dance floor. Angel had expressed interest in ballroom dancing, and Alastor had decided they would start off slow and simple.

“Today I will teach you a simple waltz.” Alastor smiled, nodding to his radio as Tchaikovsky’s Waltz of the Flowers began to play. “We will start with steps and grow more complicated as you become comfortable. Just follow my lead.”

“Alright.” The spider agreed and Alastor carefully slid his hand around Angel’s waist, offering his other hand to the demon. Angel carefully took it with one of his upper hands, placing the other on Alastor’s shoulder while he loosely placed the lower set on Alastor’s waist. The radio demon slid out his left foot, waiting for the spider to imitate him before sliding his feet back together. He then took a step back and as Angel imitated his movements and they began to move in a basic diamond, Alastor became lost in his thoughts.

It had been so long since he danced with anyone, as there were not many in Hell who appreciated the class and style of ballroom dancing and the radio demon was not very keen on letting others this close to him. While alive, Alastor had been quite charming, and many of his kills began on the dance floor­, the young killer luring his victims into a false sense of calm. The radio demon sighed, closing his eyes as memories flooded him: sometimes he missed the subtleties of hunting as a powerless human. Having only his charm and his wit to score a kill, the thrill of success or the motivating humiliation of defeat. With his power in hell, most of the time it was simply…too easy.

“Hey, Al?” The radio demon looked up as the spider spoke, the song shifting into Strauss’ Blue Danube Waltz. “I think I’m ready.”

“Alright, let us move on to the turn then.” Alastor smiled, bringing them back to the center of his dance floor. “Just follow my feet, like before.”

“Okay.” As they began their slow spin, the radio demon’s thoughts once again began to flow away with the music. How long had it been since he danced to Strauss? It had to have been at least a few decades: he had been alive the last time he danced, as he hadn’t really waltzed since…her.

Alastor began to spin faster as the music picked up, his thoughts turning to Mimzy. Oh, short precious Mimzy; she was the only person Alastor could say he ever really cared about besides his mother. Her smile, oh how she could light up a room with that beaming expression and her singing voice could put most singers to shame. A travesty that she had died before she could experience the fame that surely would have been hers on Earth. The radio demon had been excited to find her in Hell, hoping to continue their relationship from life but…she…

“Alastor? Do we need to stop?” Angel pulled against the radio demon and Alastor was once again pulled back to the present as the song on the radio skipped. He looked up to the spider confused as the music resumed.

“Is something the matter, Anthony?”

“Yea, you’re crying.” Alastor flinched as the spider reached to touch his face, and he watched as the spider’s fur came away stained with black. That was when Alastor brought his own hand up to his face and realized that tears had begun to flow without him realizing it. He attempted to smile up at Angel, but the spider’s concern and his own aching chest made it difficult. “Does…does dancing bring back bad memories?”

“No…no that’s not it.” Alastor sighed, wiping away his pointless tears. Rosie was right: it was time for Alastor to move past this. “I merely allowed myself to fall into my own thoughts. We are good to continue.”

“If you’re sure.” Angel adjusted his hands back around the radio demon and Alastor did the same as they resumed their slow and simple waltz. This time the radio did his best to focus on his current partner, watching the way Angel’s clothing flowed around the spider’s body as they moved. Despite the pride Angel held in his physical appearance, Alastor didn’t really see the appeal. His body shape was awkward, his extra limbs strange, and even his unique sexual anatomy was foreign to the radio demon. He supposed his eyes were a nice shade of pink, his makeup appealing and his fur…was nice.

The radio demon sighed, closing his eyes as he remembered being pressed into the soft fluff and breathing in the spider’s sweet scent. He caught hints of the smell now, which mean that Angel had chosen to wear the same perfume. Now that he thought about it, this scent was different from the one Angel usually had when he went to work. _That_ perfume was strong and overbearing, whereas this scent was subtle and only noticeable if they were close to one another.

‘ _Close,_ ’ Alastor thought, absently swinging the spider out with the music. To the radio demon’s surprise, Angel managed to spin gracefully and he twirled perfectly back into Alastor’s arms, their bodies now closer as they continued spinning. Alastor took a deep breath, trying to determine exactly what the perfume reminded him of. Springtime, flowers, fresh rain… _he knew what caused these scents. ‘Rose…and Amber.’_

“Hey, Al?” Alastor once again was brought to a pause as Angel said his name and he looked up to meet his partner’s eyes. This time the spider said nothing, and they stood frozen as the song built to its crescendo. Alastor’s hand slid away from Angel’s and he found his glove in the back of the spider’s head. Angel moved his hand to Alastor’s hair as well, gently stroking his carefully maintained ears as Alastor stared softly into the spider’s eyes.

_Pull away._

But Alastor didn’t want to. He began to put pressure on the spider’s neck, causing Angel to bend down towards him. He felt as the spider’s arms slid more around his waist and the radio’s heart began to pound so loud he didn’t know whether it was from excitement or fear and even if the feeling was his own. Angel had closed his eyes and Alastor knew exactly what the spider was expecting. What they both wanted.

**_Pull away._**

But Alastor couldn’t. He closed his own eyes as Angel’s face grew closer to his and the music seemed to fade into the background. Had the song ended already? Alastor didn’t know anymore. Did it _matter anymore?_ The overwhelming ache that filled his chest, this desire…was it his own or Angel’s? Was it wrong that Alastor hoped it was both?

**_PULL AWAY._**

But it was too late for that, as Alastor felt Angel’s soft lips touch his own and his grip on the spider tightened. Alastor had never kissed anyone other than Mimzy and Angel’s soft fuzzy lips were quite different from the demoness’. The radio demon never realized how much he missed this, how much he _craved_ this contact from another until that moment, and it was only with a twinge of disappointment that he allowed Angel to pull away. Alastor’s chest ached with a pain he had not felt in a long time, and it both excited him and terrified him.

“Alastor?”

“Anthony?”

“I-” But the radio demon didn’t give the spider a chance to speak, quickly grapping Angel’s face and pulling him down for another kiss. Alastor felt Angel’s initial surprise, but this soon faded away as the spider wrapped all of his limbs tighter around the Overlord, almost lifting him off the floor. Alastor pulled away again, this time breathing heavily as his heart pounded. Angel was also panting and so the two stood, with Alastor clutching the spider’s face and Angel’s arms keeping their bodies close.

“Wha…what do you want from me Alastor?” Angel breathed, and the radio demon slowly shook his head, never taking his eyes off of Angel’s.

“I…don’t know anymore.” Alastor admitted, stroking the spider’s cheeks gently as he felt Angel’s happiness at his honesty. This bond…what had it done to him? Could he _truly_ even blame the bond anymore? The bond had not forced him to go with Angel to the play, it had not forced him to keep inviting Angel back to his tower. The bond had not caused him to kiss the spider not once, but twice: all of that Alastor had done of his own free will.

“I feel like we’re at a standstill.” Angel chuckled and Alastor mimicked the sound, gently pulling away as Angel released him.

“Well, we have stopped dancing.” Alastor replied jokingly, smiling softly as the spider shook his head. “What now, Anthony?”

“I dunno.” The spider breathed, rubbing one of his hands on the back of his neck as he settled the other set on his hips. Alastor felt the spider’s worry and fear and he sighed heavily, happy to know he wasn’t the only one who was unsure about all of this. “I guess…we could see where this goes, or we can stop things now?”

“See where this goes…” Alastor repeated, bringing his hand to his chest. He knew agreeing to any sort of relationship with Angel would mean revealing their bond, as he couldn’t think of pursuing one while keeping it a secret. But…Angel was still recovering from what Husk had said, and Alastor needed more time to figure out how he wanted reveal it. “I…think I’d like that.”

“Me too.” Angel breathed and Alastor sighed softly at the hope and happiness that filled him.

“But, I want…to think about it first.” He breathed, smiling brightly at Angel to assuage any possible fear. “It…has been a long time for me Anthony. I…want to be sure I’m ready.”

“That’s fine. I get it, no rush.” Alastor couldn’t help but chuckle at the spider’s hasty words and he motioned Angel towards him. The spider seemed to glide as he stepped back into the radio demon’s arms and Alastor couldn’t resist sneaking another kiss from Angel’s soft lips. As he pulled himself tightly into the spider’s arms, he took in a deep breath, breathing in that wonderful smell.

_Rose and Amber._


	19. My Choice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alastor hadn’t expected a confession, especially not from Husk, all things considered.

Alastor paused on the steps, taking a deep breath as he carefully stepped inside the Hotel. Angel was finally back to staying in his own room, although he did still spend his nights off at the radio tower with Alastor. The radio demon himself had begun coming back to the Hotel during the day, but he continued avoiding Husk, spending all his evenings alone rather than with the cat. It was a twisted sort of fate that brought him to the Hotel tonight, and it was with both anger and fear that he sat down at Husk’s bar.

“Here I thought you were mad at me.” The cat grunted, sliding Alastor a glass of whiskey. The radio demon contemplated taking it but shook his head, pushing the glass back to Husk. The cat grunted, turning away as he continued polishing the bottles. “What, my drinks not good enough for ya anymore?”

“No, I _am_ still upset with you Husk, and I am not here to drink tonight.” Alastor sighed, tapping his fingers on the bar’s counter. “I…merely didn’t want to be alone.”

“Why don’t you get that spider of yours back to the Tower? Seems to be spending a lot of time there anyway.” Alastor shrugged at the cat’s hidden accusation, watching as Husk slid the glass of whiskey back to him. The radio demon shifted his eyes up to meet the cat’s and was surprised to see that Niffty had also joined him at the bar, sitting with her back to Alastor. The tiny cyclops hummed as she kicked her tiny legs, her one eye closed as she rocked on the counter. “Thought _such bonds were useless._ ”

“They are.” Alastor affirmed, tracing the edge of the drink with the tip of his glove. Niffty’s head twitched and the cyclops quickly bounced away, most likely to clean up a mess or to catch vermin she had sensed around the property. Husk sighed as he watched her go, a slight smile on his face and Alastor imitated the sound, finally wrapping his hand around the glass. “But…this is beyond that now.”

“Oh? The Great Alastor has let that little slu-”

“ _DON’T, call him that._ ” Alastor hissed, and Husk recoiled, surprised to see the venom in the radio demon’s eyes. Alastor pulled away, finally picking up the whiskey and taking a sip, doing his best to swallow his anger before he continued speaking. “I will no longer tolerate you tormenting Angel.”

“Why, because it torments you too or because you actually care?” Husk ventured, leaning across the bar as he waited for his answer. Alastor frowned slightly before shrugging, taking another sip of alcohol.

“Who knows?”

“What has gotten into you, Alastor? I thought I was doing you a favor by telling that little sl-…spider to forget about the bond.” Husk frowned, leaning away from the radio demon as he watched him drink. Alastor felt his anger starting to rise again, but he fought to maintain his calm, gently placing the glass back on the bar. “Yet here you are, nurturing the damn thing. I thought you hated it, I thought you were done with feelings after _her._ ”

“I thought I was too, Husker.” Alastor sighed, his heart still aching slightly as he thought of Mimzy. “But…Rosie is right. Mimzy has long moved past what we had, and I…should do the same.”

“Moving on doesn’t mean you have to force yourself into a relationship Alastor.”

“I’m not. The bond may have brought us together, but it’s not why I keep him around.” The radio demon smiled, looking softly into his drink as he brought it back to his lips. “I _enjoy_ Angel’s company, as strange as that may seem. The fact we are Soulbound is a moot point, although it does…help.”

“Then have you told him?” Husk gestured upstairs and Alastor sighed, shaking his head as he took a drink. “You might want to do that _before_ you start dating someone.”

“We’re not…together. Yet. I told him I needed some time. Besides…” Alastor frowned again, setting his glass back down on the counter. “There is…another problem.”

“His fucking pimp, right?” Husk offered and once again, Alastor nodded, keeping gaze down into his glass. He glanced up briefly as he heard Niffty return and the tiny cyclops hopped back up on the bar, scratching Husk’s head. The cat purred softly with this brief distraction, bringing a slight smile to Alastor’s face. He once found these interactions disgusting and unnecessary, but now he noticed they were…endearing. Alastor was beginning to see how his obsession with Mimzy had warped his thinking, had caused him to see all signs of affection as lies and tricks. Husk pulled away from Niffty’s pets, returning his attention to the radio demon. “What about him? Isn’t the spider basically yours anyway?”

“Not yet.” Alastor conceded, taking another sip. “And it seems Valentino has decided to find a way to get rid of me, in order to resume his control over Angel.”

“How do ya know that?” Husk gave the radio demon an accusatory glance, and Alastor sighed, swirling his drink in his hand. “I thought you only sent that Shadow with him now.”

“We…managed to overhear his scheming today.” Alastor revealed, setting his glass back on the counter. It was learning _this_ that had pushed him back into the Hotel today, and the reason he was sitting at Husk’s bar. “He and Vox have finally made up and it seems that they are both determined to find out a way to remove me from the equation, whether that means catching Angel on a day I am not with him or pulling him from the Hotel altogether.”

“Uh, can’t Charlie handle that? I thought Val was scared of her cancelling the contract if he refused to let her have Angel?” Husk offered and Alastor sighed, downing the rest of his drink.

“That is true, but that would still require her to make physical contact with Angel and if they trapped him at the Studios, that would be…difficult.” Alastor slid the empty glass to the cat, motioning for him to leave it empty. Husk shrugged, taking a swig before putting back the bottle of whiskey he had pulled down. “I could start sending my Shadow with him everywhere, but there would still be times the Creature would have to return to me.”

“Yea, I know and it would be pointless for you to take on both Vox and Valentino at the same time anyway. Hell, Velvet would probably step in too, given the nature of their relationship.” Husk shook his head, starting to see Alastor’s predicament. “Remind me why you chose to stay Bound to him again? All he’s gonna do is get you hurt.”

“Because I appreciate his company, and his honesty.” Alastor sighed, a slight smile coming to his face as he laid his head down on the counter. “Despite his work, Anthony is surprisingly…understanding with me. He has never tried to take advantage or force anything from me. He…makes me feel safe.”

“Yeah. Right.” The cat huffed, shaking his head as Alastor looked up to him. Husk seemed to be thinking, before he released a heavy breath, sharing a look with Niffty. The cyclops demon hummed, nodding her head before she bounced away, skipping to find something else to do. Alastor turned a confused look to Husk, finding that the cat was meeting his gaze, their eyes locked on one another.

“Look, Alastor. I’m going to be honest with you. I’m pissed that you chose Angel over me and I won’t say that isn’t part of why I lied to him. I _wanted_ to break your bond with him since you weren’t fucking doing it. I didn’t know you could feel his emotions already, or I would have been more subtle.” Alastor’s eyes widened in surprise with Husk’s confession and the cat hissed, looking away from the radio demon. Alastor hadn’t expected a confession, especially not from Husk, all things considered. “I ignored the bond because I knew that’s what _you_ wanted, but _I_ wanted you. I still do.”

“But Niff-”

“Sure, I’m happy with her and it’s great that she wants me, but I wanted _you,_ Alastor. I could accept that you didn’t want me when you didn’t want to be with anyone. But _knowing_ that you kept it for Angel, that you’re here saying you _want_ to be with him… It makes me _hate_ that damn spider.” Husk huffed, crossing his arms across his chest. Alastor merely stared at the cat in silence, not sure what to say. It wasn’t that he was necessarily surprised to hear that Husk wanted him, but he never expected the cat to be this vindictive about it. Enough to try and sabotage what the radio demon had with Angel by lying to the spider. Alastor dropped his gaze, fighting to control his anger as Husk sighed deeply, closing his eyes as he continued speaking. “That being said, I still don’t want to see you hurt by the damn thing or by Angel, so I think you should go to your father and ask him for help.”

_Go to his Father?_

“That…isn’t an option Husker.”

“Sure it is. Just give him what he wants in exchange for protecting Angel or breaking the bond, or both, if it bothers you that much. Both of you love a good deal.” Husk asserted, bringing his eyes back to Alastor. The radio demon frowned, staring into the empty whiskey glass as he considered what Husk said. “I know you don’t _really_ want to, but if it means protecting Angel, protecting yourself, isn’t it worth it?”

Alastor remained silent, mulling over the cat’s words. He had also considered asking his Father for help when this all began; after all, _He_ would have been able to break the bond from the beginning, but Alastor had been unwilling to accept what he knew the cost was. Even now, Alastor didn’t like the idea, but Husk had a point. Alastor could not continue to protect Angel on his own, especially if Valentino had Vox and Velvet back by his side. The bond was not mature enough to give him a solid claim on the spider’s soul and it was only a matter of time before the trio made their move.

“I…suppose you’re right.” Alastor finally conceded, laying his head down on the bar as he motioned for Husk to refill his glass. If he was going to face his true father tomorrow, he was going to need alcohol.

A lot of Alcohol.


	20. My Terror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He took a moment to adjust his fluff, annoyed as the cyclops began knocking on the door harder this time. “Just fucking come in bitch, I didn’t lock it.”

Angel hummed as he bounced his leg in his seat, sipping on his coffee while he waited for Cherri to return. Alastor had given him some money to go shopping with, saying that he wanted to take Angel somewhere later and for the spider to buy himself something nice. Angel had been surprised by the gesture, but at the same time was incredibly excited. He had been a ball of hope and anxiety since the night of their kiss and he had tried to give Alastor the time and space he needed. This…this was the sign he had hoped for and he couldn’t wait to see where Alastor wanted to take him.

“Alright bitch, ready to go?” Cherri slammed her hand down on the table as she returned and Angel smiled a toothy grin, standing to walk with the cyclops. “We still gotta find you a date outfit for tonight and I gotta get that new hat I saw for Rosie. Bitch is gonna fucking love it.”

“Didn’t Rosie say she wanted you to watch your language?” Angel teased and Cherri rolled her eye, lightly punching the spider in the shoulder.

“I mean, yeah, but I only gotta hold back when I’m around her. She ain’t here right now, so I can say whatever the fuck I want.” The cyclops laughed and Angel laughed with her, glancing around the store fronts as he tried to consider where he should buy his outfit from. Knowing Alastor’s love of style, they would probably be going somewhere classy, so none of his typical shops would do. He needed somewhere he could find an elegant piece, maybe in black or red. Angel sighed, frowning as he scanned. Cherri noticed, leaning to look up at him. “What’s up Angie? Don’t see anything you like?”

“Well, this is Alastor we’re talkin about, I can’t just wear any old thing.” Angel chuckled, glancing back up and pausing in his step. In front of him, hanging through the glass window was the perfect black evening gown. The Sweetheart top was adorned with red and silver sequins as was the spilt that started right above the left knee. Below the spilt the material changed from a smooth taffeta into sheer tulle, each layer outlined with a red border and red sequins scattered throughout. _This…this was the dress._

“Well, I think he’ll fuckin’ love that.” Cherri whistled, pulling Angel out of his stupor as she patted his back. The spider quickly nodded, placing his hand on the glass window as he stared at the dress. He would need to accessorize of course, perhaps a simple black choker or should he go red? Would gloves be too much? Angel shook his head, pulling away from the glass again as he moved to enter the shop. He should _ask_ about the dress first, try it on, and _then_ decide how he wanted to finish the look.

“Fuck, Velvet, haven’t you bought enough?” Angel’s heart immediately leapt into his throat the minute he stepped in the shop and his eyes rested on the source of the voice. Just inside, paying at the register was Vox and Velvet, with Valentino nowhere to be seen. But the spider knew where there were two, the third was not far behind and Angel started to back out of the store when he felt Cherri stop him.

“Oh, no you don’t.” She hissed, pushing him further into the store. Angel shook his head furiously, glancing back to the two Overlords paying for their purchases. Vox was already holding several bags from other stores for the doll demon and Velvet giggled, happily sucking on her lollipop. It didn’t seem like either had noticed him yet, but he didn’t want to wait until they _did._ “It’s your _fucking_ day off, you’ve got a date tonight and you are _buying that dress._ ”

“ _Shut up_ , Cherri.” Angel hissed, quickly ducking behind a mannequin as Vox turned, praying to Lucifer that the Tv demon hadn’t seen him. He slowly sank to the floor, pulling the cyclops down with him. “Doesn’t matter if I’m off, that doesn’t stop them from fucking grabbing me. And don’t say that so loud. If they hear you, I _really_ will be in trouble.”

“We’re not leaving without that dress.” The cyclops insisted, narrowing her eye at the spider. Angel flinched as she stared at him, turning away. The spider knew that look: Cherri would not let him walk out of this store until he tried on and bought the dress, all other consequences be damned. _Fuck_. As much as he loved Cherri’s crazy, screw consequences attitude, he really did wish she knew when to hold back.

“C’mon Vox, I’m done here.” Velvet finally huffed and Angel chanced a peak around the mannequin, breathing a sigh of relief as he watched the Overlords walk out. He stood back up to his full height, as Cherri did the same, punching the spider lightly in the shoulder.

“See? Worried for nothing, they’ve already fucking left.” The cyclops grinned and Angel chuckled nervously, still looking after the door. “Now, let’s get you your fucking dress so I can go get Rosie her hat.”

“Okay,” Angel sighed, waving down one of the attendants. It was a friendly little imp and she was more than excited when Angel said he wanted to try on the dress in the window. She quickly ran to the back to return with one in his size, and practically shoved the spider into the dressing room, taking a chance to provide him with all the suggested accessories. Cherri had given him a thumbs up right before the door closed, leaving the spider alone in the massive dressing room.

Angel paused a moment, looking at the different mirrors that surrounded him, aweing at how they really did show him from every angle. He rarely got to be in dressing rooms this fancy, since Val rarely took him out anymore and even when he did, Angel never got the chance to enjoy it. Anytime Val afforded him some sort of luxury Angel knew there would be a heavy price on the other side, and it was never a price he wanted to pay.

“No, not now.” Angel told himself, shaking his head to clear his thoughts of Valentino. Today was not the day to be thinking about the moth: today, Angel only wanted to think of Alastor. And if the radio demon _was_ planning to make them official then…he would take the deal. Anything to be free of Valentino and free to enjoy his relationship with the radio demon. Angel carefully stripped out of his outfit, slipping himself into the dress and easily zipping up the back with his extra arms. He turned every way he could in the mirrors, examining the dress from every angle.

“It’s…perfect.” He breathed, clasping his hands together as he closed his eyes, imagining himself wearing the dress while he was walking arm in arm with Alastor to their destination. The radio demon dressed in a sharp black and red suit, arms linked with Angel, his gloved hand lovingly resting on his. Perhaps he should wear gloves as well, just to match and respect Alastor’s wish of not being touched…

“Hang on a sec!” Angel called out as Cherri banged on the dressing room door and he reached out to the black gloves the attendant had provided, carefully slipping them on before grabbing the red choker as well. He took a moment to adjust his fluff, annoyed as the cyclops began knocking on the door harder this time. “Just fucking come in bitch, I didn’t lock it.”

“ _Good to know._ ” Angel’s blood ran cold as he heard Vox’s voice and he turned around in fear, looking to see Cherri in Velvet’s arms. The doll demon was giggling as she held the cyclops, careful not to hurt her as Vox advanced on Angel. The spider tried to step back, running into the stool and falling, managing to break his fall with his arms. He looked up to see Vox looming over him, the Tv demon grinning menacingly in his face. “It’s a shame Valentino chose not to come with us today, I’m sure he’d _love_ to know who you’re getting all doll up for.”

“I-i-it’s nothing Vox.” Angel tried to smile, tried to swallow his mounting fear. Angel did his best to appear innocent, giggling slightly as he spoke. “I was just out with Cherri and we were gonna go out later with her new date.”

“You mean, Rosie? I doubt you were getting all dressed up just for her.” Vox sneered, grabbing Angel’s arm roughly. The spider cried out from the pain and he turned his face away as the Tv demon pulled him closer. “If not her, then who could it be, I wonder? Perhaps…it might be _Alastor_ you’re hoping to impress?”

“That’s-”

“Let Cherri go, Velvet. We don’t need her.” Vox interrupted and Angel winced as he watched the doll demon obey, releasing the cyclops from her grip. Cherri immediately started toward the dressing room but was stopped as Velvet brought her knife to Cherri’s throat.

“I wouldn’t do that, little girl. Wouldn’t want to make Miss Rosie sad, now would we~?” Velvet cooed, pulling the cyclops away from the door and Cherri gave the spider a worried look as the door swung closed. Angel groaned as he closed his eyes, his heart pounding in his chest as Vox chuckled.

“Now I do have to admit, I have missed those screams of yours while me and Val were on our little break.” Vox tapped his sharp metal fingers on Angel’s neck and the spider whimpered, squeezing his eyes tighter as he anticipated the incoming pain. “Why don’t you let me hear you, Angel Baby?”

A shot of pain and Angel screamed, Vox’s laughter echoing in his ears.


	21. Our Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Oh, but I think it does matter, Alastor. After all, you’re asking quite a bit from me, protecting a lowly sinner like him.” Lucifer chuckled.

_Why had he let Husk talk him into this?_

Alastor was trying to think of a good answer to that very question as he made his way down the long hallway, ignoring the stares and whispers of the various demons that lined its walls. All of them recognized him and they all knew who he truly was and Alastor scowled as their whispers reminded him of his last visit to his father. _As if he really wanted to be here again._

The radio demon had sought out his true father the moment he arrived in Hell but to say the meeting went poorly was an understatement. Alastor had stormed out of the room, vowing that he would never re-enter again in his afterlife and yet here he was, walking down this hallway once more toward the large double doors. Once again preparing himself to stand before the man he hated more than anything in this life or the one before.

Alastor took in a deep breath, pausing in front of the giant gold doors that loomed in front of him. He released the breath slowly, pushing in the heavy doors as he entered the throne room. Alastor swallowed the lump building in his throat, walking down the red and purple carpet toward the figure lounging on the throne. He knew Lucifer would be waiting for him, as there was no way the King didn’t know that he was coming. He didn’t doubt that Lucifer knew everything about him and his actions, as he truly did have eyes _everywhere._

“Why hello, Alastor.” Lucifer cooed, chuckling as he leaned on his hand, his eyes locked on the radio demon as he approached. Alastor fought the scowl that wanted to come on his face, instead forcing a bright smile. A bright smile, just like the one his _father_ beamed down at him from the throne. “And here you said I would never find you in this room again.”

“Fate is a cruel and fickle mistress.” Alastor answered, stopping as he reached the steps leading up to Lucifer. The King chuckled, tilting his head as he examined the radio demon and Alastor’s heart pounded as he considered what he had come here to do. What he knew Lucifer would want in return, and Alastor internally sighed with relief that he was so far from Angel. Unless Lucifer physically hurt him, there was no way Angel would feel anything from the radio demon but the same was also true for him. He needed to wrap this up quickly and get back to the spider, to ensure he would never have to actually _use_ this deal.

“Well then, son, what _cruel twist of fate_ has brought you back into my presence today, hmm?” Lucifer’s smile turned dark and Alastor took another deep breath, closing his eyes briefly. When he reopened them, Lucifer was sitting up fully in his seat, looking down on the radio demon. “Perhaps you are finally ready to accept your role here in Hell, allow me to stop entertaining that other _disappointment?_ ”

Alastor flinched as Lucifer dragged the word out, and the radio demon knew he was referring to his own daughter. Not that Alastor didn’t necessarily agree with the King but considering how poor of a father he had been to him, he didn’t expect him to have been any better to Charlie. Even if he did see her as naïve and stupid, it was a bit sad that her half-brother cared more about the princess than her own father.

“I am here to ask for a favor and in return,” Alastor started, closing his eyes as he tried to remember the words he had rehearsed with the cat the night before. “I will…consider replacing Charlotte as your heir.”

“Oh? And what favor might that be?” With this Lucifer stood, slowly walking down the steps toward Alastor as the radio demon opened his eyes, doing his best to meet his father’s gaze evenly. He knew Lucifer would most likely say yes, regardless of how trivial it seemed to him. As long as it meant Alastor would replace Charlie as the Prince of Hell, he could demand whatever he wanted. Whatever he _needed._ “What does the great Overlord of Evil need from me that he can’t handle himself?”

“I want you to protect Angel Dust from harm.” Alastor spoke smoothly, keeping his eyes on the King as Lucifer laughed, practically gliding around the radio demon. Alastor felt his heart leap back into his throat as Lucifer placed his black hands on Alastor’s shoulders, leaning close to whisper in his ear.

“ _Oh? And what’s your interest with Hell’s Number one Pornstar?_ ” The king cooed, reaching to Alastor’s face but the radio demon jerked away, earning himself another chuckle. Lucifer may intimidate him, but he had his limits with what he was willing to subject himself to. “Why does he need protecting? Why do _you_ care to see him safe?”

“ _Why_ I want him protected doesn’t matter.” Alastor stated, smiling over his shoulder as Lucifer smiled back, raising his eyebrows as he waited. “Agree to protect him from all physical harm or danger and I’ll become your heir.”

“Oh, but I think it does matter, Alastor. After all, you’re asking quite a bit from me, protecting a lowly sinner like him.” Lucifer chuckled, stroking his chin as he walked around the radio, stopping in front of Alastor. The king hummed to himself as he stroked his face, pretending to be deep in thought as he closed his eyes. Alastor glared darkly as Lucifer finally snapped his fingers, his lips curling into another devious smile. “Ah! Could it be…you are _Soulbound to him?_ ”

“That’s-”

“There’s no need to protect such trash over _that._ I could always just break the bond.” Lucifer shrugged, reaching out again to touch Alastor’s face but the radio demon back away as Lucifer laughed. Alastor growled through his smile, the expression faltering as his anger grew: how dare Lucifer refer to his Angel as _trash?_ “No? You _want_ to keep it? And here I thought you’d be _begging_ for me to take it away.”

“ _You **will not** touch me._” Alastor hissed, his mouth stretched into a tight grin as he finally spoke. Bad enough he had come back after swearing he never would, but he would _not_ let the King touch his skin. Never in a million lifetimes or afterlives. “ _You will agree to protect Angel or we are done here._ ”

“Ooo, touchy touchy. I don’t like it when my son makes that scary face at me.” Lucifer frowned, cradling his face in his hands as he turned away. Suddenly the radio demon was forced to his knees as an invisible pressure pressed on him, and he looked up to see Lucifer leaning close in his face, his smile distorting his features. He tilted Alastor’s chin up with the tip of his finger, earning another growl from the radio demon. “ _I also don’t like it when my children misbehave. You **know** what happens to bad little boys who can’t listen to their daddies, don’t you?_”

“ _Then why do you want me as your heir? I don’t give two shits about what you fucking want._ ” Alastor spat back, wincing slightly as the pressure increased and Lucifer tilted his head higher, bending the radio’s demon’s neck at a painful angle. Alastor still stared up defiantly and the King’s grin grew as his wings sprung from his back, enveloping the pair in their dark shadow. “ _You’d be better off keeping Charlotte if you want an heir to lick your fucking boot heel._ ”

“ _What can I say, Alastor? You have everything Charlie lacks. Even Lilith finally agrees that you would be a better heir, despite your parentage._ ” Lucifer pulled back, releasing the radio demon as the pressure faded. Alastor quickly stood as Lucifer sat back down on his throne, adjusting his wings as he lounged once more. He gave the radio demon one last grin before turning away, closing his eyes as he resumed his former position. “I suppose you have my word. I’ll pro-”

“One more thing.”

“Hmm?” Lucifer reopened his eyes to slits as Alastor interrupted him and the radio demon took a deep breath. _Charlie was going to seriously owe him for this._

“You won’t disown Charlotte and she gets to keep the Hotel. I won’t give up my only source of entertainment so easily.” Lucifer growled at Alastor’s words, but the radio demon met his gaze evenly, refusing to back down.

“ _Fine._ I will protect your Angel Dust from harm _and_ Charlotte gets to keep her stupid little project.” Lucifer agreed, drawing a golden sigil in the air with his finger before waving it towards Alastor. The radio demon held up his hand, allowing the sigil to strike the back of his glove and he winced as the deal was branded into his skin. He looked up to see Lucifer smiling brightly, clearly pleased with proceedings. “ _Once **you** take her place as the Prince of Hell._”

“As agreed, Father.”

“Well, run along back to your spider for now. I’ll let you know when the coronation is.” Lucifer waved the radio demon away and Alastor quickly turned, wanting to leave the throne room as quickly as possible. He almost expected Lucifer to call after him, but the King remained silent and Alastor waited until he was once again on the other side of the closed golden doors to release a sigh of relief.

“ _Now,_ ” Alastor breathed, a genuine smile spreading across his face as he started away from the doors, sighing happily as he walked down the long hallway. After all, he did have a date later tonight and he needed time to get ready. “I just need to-”

But Alastor was quickly dropped to his knees, an overwhelming sense of pain filling him. His arms, his chest, his whole body was racked with pain and the radio demon cried out, pounding the floor as he quickly sunk into his shadow. _Dammit, he had been too slow._

He needed to get to Angel _now_.


	22. Your Lie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why…why had he felt Alastor’s pain? Wasn’t…wasn’t he Bound to Husk?

Angel cried out as Vox tossed him back to the floor, his fur bloody and bruised from the TV demon’s abuse. He curled up into a ball in the ruined dress, letting out another cry as Vox kicked him in the back. The spider whimpered on the floor as Vox continued kicking as Valentino had done, and Angel did his best not to scream. Even if he did, Vox would continue torturing him anyway, and at least he could deny the TV demon what he wanted.

“ _C’mon Angel. These pathetic little cries aren’t what I want from you._ ” Vox finally stopped his kicks and Angel released a shaky breath, grunting as Vox lifted his chin again, roughly forcing a kiss from the spider’s lips. Angel spit on his screen as the TV demon pulled back, but Vox only chuckled, slapping Angel across the dressing room. The spider winced as he slid, using his arms to stop himself from colliding with the mirror. “I want to hear you _scream for me, baby._ ”

“I’d rather _die_ than scream for you.” Angel spat, surprised by his own bravado as he glared at the Overlord. Being with Alastor had given Angel his sense of pride back, and even as he lay beaten on the floor, he meant ever word. He was _tired_ of bowing down to Vox and Valentino, hoping they would leave him alone. If he had learned anything during his time in this shithole, it was that they were _never_ going to leave him alone, no matter what he did. “I’d rather _die again than give you want you want._ ”

“I can arrange that, little Angel.” Vox chuckled, manifesting a blade in his hand as he smiled down at the spider. Electricity shot through the silver metal and Angel flinched, knowing how much it would hurt. After all, it was one of Vox’s favorite toys to use whenever the spider got feisty, and the TV demon loved using it. He wouldn’t kill Angel: he would just make him wish he had. “I _love_ when you give me an excuse to use this.”

“ _Do it._ ” Angel hissed, even as his heart pounded with fear. “You’re only doing this because you know Alastor isn’t here. _You’re a fucking coward._ ”

“Why you little _shit._ ” Vox’s screen distorted with his anger and the blade in his hand charged with more electricity as the lights above them blew out with the Overlord’s fury. The entire store was plunged into darkness until the dim emergency lights came on and Angel looked back up to see Vox looming over him, readying to plunge the charged blade into him. The spider threw up his hands, turning away and closing his eyes as he winced from the incoming pain.

The pain came, but not in a way Angel expected.

Angel opened his eyes as pain shot through his palms but he realized that Vox’s weapon had never reached his hands. Instead, a torn, red jacket billowed in front of him and the spider’s eyes grew wide as he watched the electricity fly all around Alastor. Alastor’s horns were now large antlers and the sharp shoulders of his jacket seemed larger as he laughed madly, Vox pressing the blade more into his hands. The radio demon shoved Vox back, bringing his bleeding hands back to his side as the TV demon stumbled backwards. Alastor glanced over his shoulder, smiling weakly at Angel as he breathed, the spider’s eyes wide as he watched the radio demon’s black blood drip to the floor. _Why…why had he felt **Alastor’s** pain? Wasn’t…wasn’t he Bound to Husk?_

“I’m sorry Anthony. This isn’t how I wanted you to find out.” Alastor sighed, closing his eyes as he balled his fist, sealing up the wounds in his hands before turning his red eyes back to the TV Overlord. “We’ll talk later, once you’re somewhere safe.”

“Al…I’m Bound…to…”Angel stumbled over his words and the radio demon sighed, bringing his healed hand to his chest. Angel couldn’t see Alastor’s face, but… _he could feel_ the radio demon’s uncertainty, the fear that was beginning to fill the Overlord. All this time…it was Alastor? _Alastor_ was the one he was Soulbound too?

“ _Well, well, well, took you long enough Alastor._ ” Angel’s thoughts were interrupted as Vox spoke, his screen glowing in the dark dressing room as another bolt of electricity shot from his knife, striking the mirror close to him. The bolt ran from mirror to mirror, shattering the glass as it went and Angel through up his hands to protect himself from the shards. It was unnecessary however, as Angel found himself covered by Alastor’s Shadow, the creature completely shielding the spider from the raining glass. Angel felt small pricks of pain as the glass hit Alastor but when he looked up at the radio demon, he hadn’t moved, unbothered by his own pain. No, Angel felt as Alastor’s rage hit him and he struggled against the Shadow, wanting to stop Alastor from fighting Vox.

“ _And who gave you permission to touch **MY** Angel?_” The radio demon’s voice was broken and full of static as he finally began to walk forward and Angel’s eyes widen as he saw small flames dance up from where Alastor’s heels struck the floor. _Since when did Alastor have Hellfire?_ “ _I don’t appreciate you touching those who belong to me._ ”

“Don’t think just because that slut is staying at your Hotel that you have a claim to him, Alastor.” Vox scoffed, using the knife to shoot another bolt passed Alastor’s face, but the radio demon didn’t react, continuing his advance. “The _whore_ belongs to Va-”

“ ** _DON’T CALL HIM THAT!_** ” Angel cowered beneath the Shadow as it attempted to shield him from the wave of fire that flowed from Alastor as he grabbed Vox by the neck, shoving him into the broken mirror. Alastor’s rage was overwhelming and Angel _knew_ he had to do something. The spider finally managed to throw off the Shadow as Velvet opened the door to the dressing room and Angel could see Cherri still outside, sitting on the floor where the doll has tossed her. Her eye was full of fear as she saw Angel and all of their attention was quickly brought back to Alastor as he slammed Vox into the wall again. “ ** _Angel belongs to ME! His soul is MINE!_** ”

“ _Let him go you fuckin-_ ” Velvet started toward the radio demon but she was suddenly stopped in her tracks as Alastor flung out his free hand, his tentacles rising from the floor to restrain the doll overlord. He slammed Velvet into the floor, quickly knocking her out as he returned his attention to Vox, whose screen was flickering in and out. Cherri quickly backed up across the floor as the tentacles began after her as well, but they were suddenly stopped by a flash of black. Angel blinked his eyes to see Rosie standing in the dim emergency lights in front of the cyclops, her umbrella striking the ground to stop the encroaching appendages. Alastor turned to glare at his fellow Overlord and Rosie’s eyes widen slightly at the vision in front of her. She then slowly turned to look at Angel and seemed to put two and two together.

“Angel!” Rosie called out to the spider as a wall of fire severed her from his view and Angel turned a horrified glance back to Alastor, who was still growling as his horns grew and his face distorted more. The radio demon was starting to resemble a wendigo as he kept Vox pinned to the wall and Angel was finding it difficult to breathe with the growing heat. He could still hear the Overlord’s voice as she fought to make herself heard over the noise of the raging Hellfire. “You have to calm him down, he’s not used to that level of power! He’ll go berserk if you don’t!”

“How am I supposed to do anything?” Angel cried out, flinching as another wave of fire exploded from Alastor and the Shadow quickly shielded him from the blaze.

“Remind him that you’re there! Use the bond!” He heard her reply and Angel quickly glanced back up to the quickly changing radio demon. He had returned his gaze to Vox but the TV demon’s screen was black and his body limp, the heat from the flames having caused him to overheat and shut off. Angel looked to the Shadow as it protected him and he painfully worked his way to his feet, slowly walking towards Alastor. The creature tried to pull him back at first but Angel fought against it, managing to reach the radio demon as the Shadow shielded him from each blast of fire that radiated from the Overlord. He reached out to touch Alastor’s shoulder, causing the creature to quickly whip around him and grab his hand. Its bony eye sockets burned with red as he towered over the spider and Angel struggled to find his voice amidst his fear.

“AL! It’s me, calm down!” Angel cried out as Alastor tightened his grip on the spider’s wrist, flinching as Alastor’s rage washed through him again. Fuck, he was so lost that he couldn’t feel Angel’s pain anymore and the spider brought his other hand up, carefully stroking the bony face that loomed above him. The demonic wendigo tilted his head, somewhat loosening his grip on Angel’s wrist as the spider leaned closer, placing his head against Alastor’s. It felt strange to press himself against the bony deer skull but if this is what it took, then he would do it. “I’m okay now, you can calm down now. I’m safe, Alastor.”

“ ** _An-Anthony?_** ” The voice that came from the creature was so broken and garbled that Angel could barely understand, but he felt the tiniest bit of change in the overwhelming rage and he quickly nodded, pulling the creature’s bony head down into his fluff.

“ _Yes, Alastor, it’s me. I’m okay now._ ” He did his best to sound soothing, attempting to push calming feelings toward the radio demon. He heard as Alastor released Vox’s limp body, the TV demon collapsing to the floor as Alastor wrapped his arms tightly around the spider, slowly shrinking back down as the bony features melted away from his face. Angel closed his eyes with relief as the fire vanished and he looked up as Cherri rushed into the dressing room, watching Angel with concern as he held the radio demon. Rosie stepped over Velvet’s unconscious body, squinting to see the pair in the dim emergency lights. She was looking down at Alastor’s hand and Angel followed her gaze, noticing a golden sigil that pulsed under the torn fabric of the glove before fading away.

“I see. So you did go to Him.” Rosie breathed, shaking her head as she scooped up Cherri in her arms, raising her gaze to meet Angel’s. Her eyes seemed a bit sad, but it was hard for Angel to tell. “Can you walk, or should I carry both of you as well?”

“I can walk.” Alastor replied from Angel’s chest, and the spider looked down as the radio demon lifted his head away from the spider, refusing to meet his gaze. He could feel Alastor’s fear and worry returning and Angel sighed heavily, allowing Alastor to step back from him. Before he could say anything, the spider found himself lifted from the floor by Alastor’s Shadow and the creature followed behind his Master as the radio demon stepped out of the space, looking small as he stood in front of Rosie. Alastor walked silently behind his fellow Overlord, the four demons leaving the broken and destroyed dressing room behind them.


	23. Your Patience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The spider let out a chuckle, shaking his head as he closed his eyes. Damn, it all seemed so obvious now.

Angel held onto his mug awkwardly, sitting on the couch next to Cherri as the two Overlords leaned in the kitchen, all holding on to their cups of tea. No one had said a word as they returned to Alastor’s radio tower, the Overlords setting their partners on the couch as they retreated to the kitchen to make tea. Angel could still feel Alastor’s worry and fear and the feeling made his chest ache as he watched the radio demon go through the motions of preparing their drinks. He wanted to ask Alastor why he lied, but the words wouldn’t come out and so he tapped his mug, sipping on the chamomile tea.

“Rose,” Cherri finally broke the silence, taking a deep breath as she looked up to meet the gaze of her Soulbound partner. The demoness smiled slightly, looking to Cherri with a mixed expression and Angel felt his heart ache slightly. But was it _his_ heartache, or _Alastor’s?_ “What…was that?”

“It would seem,” Rosie began, chancing a glance down at Alastor, who was avoiding everyone’s gaze as he looked into his mug but Angel noticed a slight flinch at Rosie’s words. “Alastor has finally accepted a deal with Lucifer.”

“Lucifer?” Angel repeated, tearing his gaze away from Alastor to look at Rosie. The Overlord was watching him softly, a small smile on her face. The sad look from the store entered her expression again and she sipped her tea, clearing her throat before answering.

“Yes, as the King is his Father, Lucifer has wanted Alastor replace Charlotte as his heir since his arrival in Hell, and it seems that Alastor has finally agreed.” She kept her black gaze locked on Angel and the spider felt his own fear rise to join Alastor’s. “All in order to protect you.”

“Protect me? Because we’re Soulbound?” Angel ventured, returning his gaze to Alastor as the radio demon turned away. He felt as Alastor’s worry increased and he frowned, dropping his drink down to his lap. Rosie sighed heavily, placing her mug back on the counter as she motioned for Cherri to stand. The cyclops obeyed, chancing a look at Angel as she set her mug down, accepting Rosie’s hand as the Overlord reached her.

“Perhaps, we should leave the two of you to talk this out alone.” Rosie offered, lovingly patting Cherri’s hair as they left and Angel was forced to return his gaze to Alastor’s back. They remained in silence as the door closed behind the girls, neither sure what to say as their combined fear and worry was passed between them. When Alastor finally spoke, Angel had to lean close to hear the radio demon’s soft words.

“I’m sorry.”

“For?” Angel spat, sounding harsher than he meant to and he flinched with Alastor as the radio demon’s anxiety hit him. Fuck, how had he not noticed it was Alastor all this time? Angel took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down and talk over the heavy feeling in his chest. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I…was going to. Tonight.” Alastor sighed, keeping his back to Angel. The spider waited, feeling that the radio demon had more to say. Now that he was aware of Alastor’s emotions, he knew the radio demon was telling the truth, and it made him feel a bit more relaxed. “I…wanted to say something sooner, but I…was afraid.”

“Is that why you were protecting me? Because of the bond?”

“Yes, at first.” _Truth._

“Were you planning to break it, eventually? Once you were sure it couldn’t hurt you anymore?”

“Yes.” _Truth._

“When did you start feeling my emotions?”

“After the play.” So, the same night Angel was first struck by Alastor’s fear and anxiety. The spider let out a chuckle, shaking his head as he closed his eyes. _Damn_ , it all seemed so obvious now. The anxiety whenever Alastor ran away from him, the slight happiness after they would hang out, the pleasure in the afternoons while Alastor was broadcasting his slaughter...Angel shook his head. Somehow, it didn’t surprise him that was how Alastor got his kicks.

“Did you tell Husk to lie to me?” Angel felt Alastor’s anger return as he said this and the radio demon slammed his hands onto the counter, attempting to reign in his emotions. Angel clutched his chest, gasping slightly at the pain and Alastor whipped around quickly, his eyes filled with worry. As soon as their gazes met however, he turned away again, picking up his mug to sip his tea.

“No, I didn’t.” _Truth._ “I’m actually still quite upset that he did that.”

“Do you intend to keep the bond?” Angel asked, his heart pounding. When he thought he had been Soulbound to Husk, he had been doing everything in his power to ignore the feelings that plagued him, but now, knowing they had been Alastor’s all along, he wasn’t sure if his action had weakened it or not. It was obviously still there and still strong enough for emotions to be shared, but how far had he set them back because of Husk’s lie?

“I…” Alastor sighed, finally turning to face Angel. The radio demon slowly pushed himself off the counter and Angel watched his slow movements, as if each stepped pained him to take. As Alastor set his cup down, kneeling on the floor in front of him, Angel finally felt why Alastor was so afraid, why he was so worried. He was _scared_ Angel would _reject him_. “I don’t know Angel. I never felt that it was necessary for me to enjoy your company, but without it…”

“Valentino still owns me.” Angel finished, sighing heavily as Alastor nodded. Angel closed his eyes, trying to acknowledge his own emotions above Alastor’s. He was…annoyed and upset that Alastor had been lying to him all the time, but he couldn’t say that he didn’t understand it. If their positions had been reversed, he couldn’t say he wouldn’t have done the same thing. Angel fought to swallow his heart as another concern rose in his mind, and he looked down to see Alastor looking up at him, his worry plain on his face. “Alastor.”

“Yes, Angel?” _Slight hope._

 _“_ Did you…did you really replace Charlie, just to protect me? _”_ Angel breathed and he watched as Alastor stood, sliding onto the couch beside the spider. The radio demon remained silent and the regret that filled them both answered Angel’s question. “Why? What happens to the Hotel now?”

“Nothing. I made Lucifer agree to leave it alone and Charlie won’t be completely disowned.” Alastor breathed, his regret and worry increasing as he spoke. “I…I knew I couldn’t protect you on my own. I needed Lucifer’s help.”

“You did a pretty good job today.” Angel chuckled half-heartedly and Alastor mimicked the sound, dropping his head into this hands. The spider finally set his cup back down his lap, keeping his eyes on the radio demon as Alastor sighed deeply.

“I…didn’t know becoming his heir would change my powers so much so quickly.” The radio demon breathed and Angel watched as he pulled his hands away from his face, the torn gloves still covered in black blood and now wet anew with Alastor’s tears. “I…almost hurt you and Rosie, but I was just so _angry…_ ”

“Maybe you should be the Overlord of Rage instead.” Angel tried to joke and Alastor let out an ugly laugh, bring his hands to his face again. Angel set down his mug, carefully placing one of his hands on Alastor’s back. The radio once again leaned up from his gloves as Angel slid another of his hands into Alastor’s, gripping his hand tightly. The Overlord looked up to the spider and Angel couldn’t help his soft smile as he felt Alastor’s hope and confusion fill him. Alastor was a lot less terrifying when Angel could feel just how insecure he was. “I won’t say I’m not upset Al.”

“You have every right to be.” The radio demon’s worry and fear quickly returned and Angel sighed heavily, stroking small circles into Alastor’s back.

“That being said, I do still like you, and I still like the idea of being with you.” Angel breathed and the radio demon’s tail thumped the couch, causing Angel to giggle as Alastor turned away, a bright blush starting on his face. “You said you didn’t need the bond to enjoy my company, right?”

“No, I don’t see why it would be necessary.” Alastor affirmed, squeezing Angel’s hand tightly as he spoke. Angel could feel his chest starting to swell with hope and happiness and he shook his head, unable to help his smile. “I…was only waiting to tell you because I was afraid of how you would react and that you would reject me if you knew.”

“Like you’ve been rejected before, right?” Angel offered and Alastor flinched at his words, squeezing Angel tighter.

“Not over something like this. I just…didn’t handle that rejection well.” Alastor breathed, and Angel leaned over, resting his head on Alastor’s shoulder. The radio demon sat up at this and the spider adjusted himself, closing his eyes as he sighed. “Anthony?”

“You don’t have to talk about it yet if you’re not ready.” Angel breathed, closing his eyes as he squeezed Alastor’s hand. “I…need some time to come to terms with this Al, and I would rather wait until I’m free of Valentino before we start doing anything. What you did today was nice, but I’d rather we didn’t have to do that again.”

“That’s understandable.” Alastor conceded, and Angel could feel the radio demon’s slight disappointment at his words. The spider chuckled, sneaking a kiss onto the radio demon’s cheek before resting his head back on his shoulder, a blush starting on his fur.

“That doesn’t mean we can’t still hang out here and stuff. I just…want to wait to make things official, if that’s okay. Be sure that this is something we both really want.” Angel clarified, humming softly as he snuggled closer to Alastor. “After all, if I’m going to be dating the new Prince of Hell, I’d rather be sure he really wants me.”

“I want you, Angel.” Angel felt as Alastor lifted his head, and he soon found his eyes locked with Alastor’s red ones. He could feel the radio’s demon desire…his… _feelings_ for him through their bond and Angel had to swallow his own back down. He _really_ wanted to believe that what Alastor felt for him was real, but…he needed to be _sure._ He reached up to stroke Alastor’s cheek, smiling as the radio demon leaned into his black glove.

As he leaned in to sneak a kiss from the Overlord’s lips, Angel prayed to Lucifer than Alastor truly did want him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you ever want to see the artwork I've been doing, or add some of you own, check out the #HHSoulBoundAU tag on twitter!


	24. Her Determination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It’s all about the performance, my dear.” Alastor hummed and Angel laughed awkwardly, smiling softly down at the radio demon.

Alastor fidgeted as he stood outside the Hotel, the cold wind blowing through his jacket. The radio demon had wanted to wait inside, but the Spider had convinced him it would be better to wait outside while he got everyone in one place for the news.

After some consideration, Angel had managed to talk Alastor into telling Charlie about the pair being Soulbound and his deal with Lucifer to take her place. Alastor knew that Lucifer nor Lilith would warn their daughter and if Alastor didn’t tell her himself, the princess would be blindsided by the news once the coronation was announced. The radio demon knew that Lucifer was actually depending on Alastor remaining quiet, that way the King could delight in his daughter’s broken expression as she finally learned the truth.

“Alright, everyone is ready, Al.” Alastor looked up as Angel peaked out the door, the spider holding out his hand to pull the Overlord in. Alastor took it, relieved to finally be out of the cold wind, shaking the chill from his body as he stood in the warm lobby. The spider then pulled the radio into a tight hug and Alastor knew that Angel could feel his trepidation. It’s not that he was nervous about the deal: no, he was nervous about revealing their bond. “You know, for someone who has such a cold exterior you really are a mess most of the time.”

“It’s all about the performance, my dear.” Alastor hummed and Angel laughed awkwardly, smiling softly down at the radio demon. Alastor returned the soft expression, reaching up to touch the spider’s face. Angel cradled the radio demon’s hand against his cheek and Alastor sighed, happy to get in this quick moment with the spider before they faced everyone else.

“Well, I hope you’re ready to put on a good show, because I doubt this will be an easy crowd.”

“Nonsense! What’s done is done, and I’m doing Charlie a favor by taking your suggestion.” Alastor shrugged, following as Anthony led him to the library. “Honestly, I think it would be more entertaining to watch her break down in front of all of Hell as I take her place.”

“Yea, maybe to _you and Lucifer,_ but I think Charlie’s been destroyed on live television enough.” Angel winced, referring to the day Alastor had come to them. Of course it was Charlie’s live theatrics and the chance to get to know his half-sister that had drawn the radio demon to this little project, but the radio demon kept this to himself, opting for a broad smile as they stepped into the library. Angel walked away from the radio demon, standing beside the couch next to Charlie. Vaggie sat next to her girlfriend and Niffty sat beside her, separating the moth and Husk. Alastor’s smile twitched as he saw the cat, but he soon returned his gaze to Charlie, who was watching him with a concerned expression.

“Um, Angel said you had some important news, regarding me and the Hotel?” She asked quietly and Vagatha squeezed her lover’s hand, shooting the radio demon a challenging glare. Alastor merely chuckled as he met the moth’s eyes, slowly turning back to look at the princess. While it was true that Alastor wanted the news to devastate her, he also hoped she wasn’t quite _that_ disappointing. “He…he said it was big.”

“Indeed, dear sister, it is.” Alastor spoke smoothly, almost immediately getting a reaction out of the moth.

“Wait, what did you just call her?!” Vaggie hissed, almost standing from the couch but Angel stopped her, motioning for the moth to sit back down. Vaggie reluctantly obeyed, casting her gaze down to her girlfriend, but the princess ignored her. Charlie’s eyes remained locked on Alastor, a bit of fear creeping into her expression. She seemed…less surprised that he thought she would be and then it dawned on Alastor. He chuckled again, shaking his head as he approached his half-sister, getting on one knee in front of her.

“It seems you already knew. And here I was keeping it a secret for nothing.” Alastor held out his hand to Charlie and the princess slowly took it, sliding her hand from Vaggie’s as large tears started to roll down her face. Alastor chuckled as he saw them, and he sighed happily, turning to look at the moth, who had her wide eye locked on Charlie. “For you see, dear Vagatha, Charlie and I are half-siblings.”

“WHAT?!”

“And he’s just replaced me as the Heir to Hell.” Charlie croaked, now fully crying as she held Alastor’s hand. The radio demon hummed as the former princess bent over, sobbing over his glove as she managed to continue speaking. “Which means I’m…I’m nothing now.”

“ _WHAT?!_ ”

“Not so, dear Charlotte.” Alastor cooed, gently pulling his hand away to keep Charlie from soaking his glove with her tears. He instead produced a handkerchief, handing it to the sobbing demoness as Vaggie glared at him coldly. Niffty was staring at his wide-eyed with the news and both Angel and Husk were refusing to look at either of the royal siblings, both avoiding eye contact with Alastor. “Part of my deal with our Father is that he would not disown you.”

“Deal?” Charlie echoed and Alastor nodded, motioning for Angel to return to his side. The spider did so, sauntering up to Alastor, leaning down on the shorter Overlord. Alastor sighed as he felt Angel’s awkwardness fill him, the spider trying to act as confident as the radio demon.

“That’s right, a deal. Ya see, toots, Al and I here are Soulbound. That’s why he wanted your permission to protect me.” Angel giggled, standing back up from the radio demon as he hummed. “Not that I knew myself until recently.”

“Soulbound? You mean like Husk and Niffty?” Vaggie questioned, glancing over to the pair and Niffty nodded excitedly while the cat merely grunted, still refusing to look at anyone. She returned to looking at Alastor, still glaring at the radio demon as he sighed. “So you were just trying to protect yourself from Angel’s abuse. I _knew_ you were up to something.”

“Yes, but the situation was growing beyond what I or Charlotte here could handle, so I went to our Father.” Alastor sighed, his own regret and nervousness rising again as he remembered standing in front of the King. He felt as Angel gently placed a hand on his back, hiding it so the others couldn’t see and Alastor had to resist the urge to take that hand into his own. As much as he wanted nothing more than to receive comfort from Angel, he had to respect the spider’s wishes. “In exchange for protecting Angel from harm, I have to take Charlotte’s place as Prince of Hell.”

“NO! No fucking deal!” Vaggie countered, finally leaping off the couch and summoning her harpoon, pointing the sharp weapon into Alastor’s face. The radio demon closed his eyes, his annoyance growing with Vagatha’s insistence. Charlie remained silent on the couch, clutching Alastor’s handkerchief tightly as tears continued down her face. “You can’t just take that from her! Charlie is their daughter!”

“And _I_ am Lucifer’s son. As long as Lilith agrees, I have as much of a right as she does.” Alastor scoffed, slowly pushing Vagatha’s weapon from his face. He lifted his chin as he chuckled, looking down on the short moth as he grinned. “I couldn’t care less about being that bastard’s heir, but if this is what it takes to keep Angel and myself safe, then I don’t care about taking it away from her.”

“You _maldito bast-_ ”

“Vaggie, stop.” Charlie finally whispered, stopping the moth mid-sentence as they all returned their eyes to the former princess. Charlie had finally stopped crying and she looked up to Alastor, meeting his gaze evenly. The radio demon raised his eyebrows, waiting to see what his half-sister would say. Outside of her sobbing, Charlie was taking the news relatively well and Alastor was somewhat delighted that he was the one who got to witness this, and _not_ Lucifer. “The deal’s already been made. There’s nothing to be done.”

“She’s right, Vags. Al’s got the brand to prove it.” Angel interrupted the moth as she opened her mouth to retort, and the spider winced as Vaggie turned her harpoon to him, growling softly. Alastor immediately reacted, smacking the weapon away as he hissed at the moth, stepping in front of Angel. She growled in return, her hairbow started to shift as she grew angrier.

“But what about Charlie? What about _the Hotel?_ ”

“Nothing will change.” Alastor spat, once again looking up to meet his sister’s gaze. All of the sadness was gone from her eyes, replaced by cold determination. _Good,_ she was sturdy as he had hoped. Alastor cleared his throat, standing up straight once more. “As I said, part of my deal was that Charlie would not be disowned, and nothing would happen to the Hotel. Helping with this endeavor is the most entertained I’ve been in years and I won’t see it fall over such a silly thing.”

“So, Charlie is still _a_ princess, just not _the_ princess.” Niffty piped up, shifting all eyes over to her. She grinned broadly up at Alastor and the radio demon chuckled as she continued. “Good, I like it here. Lots to clean, plenty to do.”

“Why of course my dear Niffty. And now Charlie is free to do what she desires, without the burden of pleasing that creature.” Alastor added, covering his own grin as he looked back to Charlie. “Although I have no intention on pleasing him either, so we’ll see whether he regrets this or not.”

“He won’t. He’s wanted you since you fell.” Charlie sighed, standing as she walked up to Alastor, Angel and Vaggie stepping away as she drew closer. The radio demon dropped his hand from his face as he stood over his sister, smiling down at the shorter demoness. Charlie met his gaze evenly, a smile of her own starting on her face. “I’m going to succeed with the Hotel. I’m going to prove both of you wrong.”

“I still intend to help you, _ma frangine._ ” Alastor hummed, leaning down slightly as he brushed a stray hair from Charlotte’s face. Their eyes remained locked the whole time and Alastor couldn’t help his chuckle as Charlie’s grin matched his own, her eyes shifting into their demonic hue as her horns grew from her crown.

“ _I’m never going to give up._ ” Charlie swore and Alastor couldn’t help his laugh as he leaned closer into her face, allowing his own appearance to slip slightly as his horns stretch into antlers and his pupils faded into the red of his eyes.

“ _And I will continue to delight in watching you fail._ ”


	25. My Torment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What would it take: how could he prove to Angel that he wanted him outside of their bond?

“Well, that went pretty well.” Angel sighed, closing the door to Alastor’s office as he stepped inside. The radio demon chuckled, motioning the spider over as he buried his face in Angel’s chest. He breathed in that sweet scent he was beginning to love so much, sighing deeply.

“She _is_ the daughter of Lilith and Lucifer, it would be disappointing if she had no fire to her.” Alastor breathed, resting against his spider. After Charlie managed to calm Vaggie down, the siblings talked about their plans moving forward, since Charlie losing her status would most likely affect their efforts to recruit guests. Luckily, Alastor had already considered this and had one better for Charlie: a list of demons who would consider staying and participating her little project. It was actually Angel who had come up the list from the other actors he performed with, but the radio demon hid this detail from his sister.

“Yea, I guess so.” Angel sighed and Alastor frowned as he felt the spider’s unease, leaning away from his chest to see Angel’s face. The spider was looking down at him, smiling softly despite the growing unease in his chest.

“What’s wrong Anthony?”

“Hmm, I dunno. Still feels…weird. Being Soulbound to you.” Angel admitted and Alastor’s frown deepened as he released the spider, walking around his desk to sit. He manifested a chair for Angel, watching as the spider carefully sat, still filled with unease. “I mean, it’s been ya the whole time, but I…spent so long thinkin’ it was Husk that it feels weird to know it was you. Is you.”

“I suppose I can understand that.” Alastor conceded, humming thoughtfully as he looked to his radio in the corner. The device came to life, soft jazz filling the space as Alastor closed his eyes. “I…am still finding it hard to forgive him, despite his reasons and recent help.”

“Help?”

“Husk was the one who convinced me to go to my father.” Alastor sighed, sinking deeper into his chair as he loosened his bowtie. “If not for him…I’m not sure I would have been able to save you.”

“I’m sure you could have found a way. I mean, Rosie would’ve help you, since Cherri was there.” Angel offered and Alastor sighed, shrugging his shoulders. It wasn’t that he doubted the spider’s words, just that he knew Rosie would’ve protected _Cherri_ and the cyclops alone. She didn’t care about what happened to Angel and Alastor knew the only reason she had encouraged the spider to stop him was for her and Cherri, not for them. “I dunno, maybe you could have found a way without Lucifer.”

“Perhaps, but what’s done is done, and once I’m crowned, there will be no more worry.” Alastor sighed, lifting his hand as the golden sigil pulsed under his glove. “Lucifer will ensure that no one harms you, and the bond will allow me to remove Valentino’s claim. You’ll be free.”

“Yeah…” Angel breathed and Alastor’s frown returned as he felt Angel’s worry.

“Isn’t that what you wanted? To be free to do what you want?”

“I mean, yea, I _do_ want that.” Angel sighed, drawing his knees up into his chair and Alastor watched as he tried to understand the myriad of emotions plaguing the spider. Eventually he gave up, leaning back in his chair as he waited for Angel to explain. “Just…you didn’t say I’d be with you.”

_Oh._

 _“_ I…didn’t want you to feel like you didn’t have a choice. _”_ Alastor hurried, covering his face as he groaned. He didn’t think such a tiny thing would upset the spider: he was _not_ used to doing this sort of thing anymore. Although, all things considered, had he ever done it right the first time? “I don’t want to make you feel trapped with me, Angel. I’m…not Valentino.”

“I know that, trust me.” Angel laughed, but it was a hollow sound and Alastor groaned again with Angel’s pain, closing his eyes. “Sorry Smiles, I just…”

“I know, you want to be certain.” Alastor repeated, dropping his hand from his face as he looked up to the ceiling. _What would it take_ : how could he prove to Angel that he wanted him outside of their bond? Maybe he could…Alastor sighed heavily, his heart filling with pain as he considered his option. He glanced over as he heard Angel shift, and the spider was now sitting on his desk, looking down at him with a worried expression.

“What’s wrong Alastor?”

“Nothing. I just…” Alastor took a deep breath, sliding his hand close to Angel’s. He hummed softly as the spider took it, squeezing his hand lightly as he waited for the radio demon to continue. “I haven’t told you about Mimzy.”

“Wait, _the Mimzy? One of the best singers in all of Hell, second only to Lilith herself?_ ” Angel squeaked and Alastor flinched at the spider’s excitement. Angel noticed immediately, dropping his voice as he continued. “You…you know her?”

“ _Knew._ We…were an item in life.” Alastor sighed, closing his eyes as he was flooded with memories. _Oh sweet, wonderful Mimzy._ “She…was the only person I ever opened up to after my mother died, and I…cared about her greatly. In a lot of ways, she filled the hole that my mother’s death left in me and I was devasted by her own premature end.”

“How…”

“It was…my own fault.” Alastor scoffed, squeezing the spider’s hand tightly as his heart constricted in his chest. He had never told anyone the full story: not Husk, not even Rosie. Only Angel would know the truth. “I was getting cocky in my killings. After all, I had been killing for years without being caught, and I always managed to catch the ones who got away. And while I was barely around, I always made time for Mimzy when I came home.

“She…wanted to get married, and I agreed, only to make her happy. It made no difference to me, as long as I could continue my work.” Alastor breathed, closing his eyes as the memory of that final day flooded him. “I…was leaving to go to Atlanta, to catch a fresh little morsel I had met at a gala. Mims had begged me to stay, but I simply reminded her how important my work was and left without a second thought. When I arrived in the next town, I was surprised to find police waiting for me. But they were not there to arrest me, no, they were there to tell me that my wife had been murdered.”

“Who..who killed her?” Angel ventured and Alastor scoffed, covering his face with his free hand.

“My stepfather’s brother. The bastard never did believe the lie I fed the police, that he had been killed by wild animals. When he learned about Mimzy, he decided to take justice into his own hands.” Alastor’s anger grew as he remembered the look on his uncle’s face, the face that resembled the man that had killed his mother just a _bit too much._ “I immediately returned home to kill him, and I gave him the same treatment I had given to his brother. I…started to become sloppy in my grief and it was not long after that I met my own demise.”

“I’m…guessing the reunion down here didn’t go so well?” Angel offered and Alastor shook his head, sighing as the heartache settled in his chest once more. He would get through this story and make Angel the only one who knew the _truth._

“It actually took me quite some time to find her, I was…distracted when I first arrived.” Alastor took a deep breath, trying to find the right words. “She was…with someone…when I found her. I was…so angry, I…”

“Killed him? Ate him?”

“Yes.” Alastor breathed, remembering the cold expression on Mimzy’s face as the radio demon had devoured her lover in his jealous rage. “Mimzy told me that she was tired of waiting for me, that she deserved someone who wanted to be with her. Stay by her side and love her the way she needed. She said she had long stopped loving me, that I never married her, I was married to my work. She blamed me for her death, said I might as well have been the one who shot her. And _then she thanked me for it._

“She thought she could accept how I was but even when we were alive, she had been planning to leave me.” Alastor choked, remembering how each of her words had been like knives into his heart. “While I was in Atlanta, she…had planned to run off with someone else. That was how my uncle was able to find her and kill her. She said waking up in Hell had finally given her a place free from me and she was happier without the shackle of fear I had placed on her.”

“Fuck, Al…” Angel breathed and Alastor chuckled weakly. “She…never talked to you about this before trying to leave?”

“If she had, I would have killed her. She knew what I was. I had decided everything was perfect and so she had to pretend as if it was.” Alastor breathed, remembering how he had wanted to kill her when she finally did tell him. How betrayed he felt by her smiles, her kisses…her lies. How he had wanted nothing more than to squeeze the life from her new body and feast on her dead, disgusting heart. “But I… I couldn’t. I couldn’t kill her.”

“Because you loved her?” Angel whispered and Alastor nodded.

“I…left. I just left and killed every other demon I came across. That’s…what earned me my title. My jealous, hurt rage after she rejected me.” Alastor chuckled as he remembered waking from those decades of rage. Perhaps Angel was right and Overlord of Evil was inappropriate. “When I came out of it, I decided to never let another get that close to me again. No one wanted to understand me, no one _could,_ so I was better off alone. I would never let another touch me, physically or emotionally. So, after that, I began killing everyone I was Soulbound to as soon as I discovered the connection.”

“Everyone?”

“Except Husk.” Alastor revealed, chancing a glance up at Angel. There was the slightest hint of fear radiating from the spider and Alastor squeezed his hand tightly, attempting to assuage the fear his words were causing. “He and Niffty had already been mine for a few decades by then and Husk knew how I felt about it. Once I realized he was ignoring the bond, I…left him alone. Eventually it broke on its own and he was bonded to Niffty instead.”

“So…Husk lied because he thought you didn’t want the bond with me?” Angel sighed and Alastor shook his head, his anger starting to rise again. “Then why?”

“Because he was, is jealous that I _do_ want you.” The radio demon sighed, chuckling as Angel’s anger joined his own. “He didn’t know I could already feel your emotions, so he was hoping to convince you to break the bond without me knowing.”

“ _Testa di cazzo!”_ Angel cursed, starting to stand from the desk as he cursed but Alastor tighten his grip on the spider’s hand, holding him still. Angel glared down at the radio demon and for a moment, Alastor was surprised by the depth of Angel’s anger. “ _Let me go Alastor._ ”

“No, Anthony.”

“ _Why?_ I get that he was being a dick to me because he was jealous but he… _ha cercato di distruggermi. Ha cercato di distruggerci!”_

 _Italian again._ “I don’t understand Italian well enough to know what you’re saying.” Alastor sighed, standing from his chair as he maintained his grip on Angel’s hand. He carefully walked around the desk, moving to stand in front of the angry spider. Alastor took a deep breath, bringing his free hand to his mouth and he felt the spider’s anger give way to surprise as Alastor pulled the clothing off with his teeth. He reached up to touch Angel’s fur, finally experiencing that soft touch against his own skin and the radio demon was forced to sigh happily. “But, I’m right here Angel, and even if Husk had managed to break our bond I would still be here. It may have taken longer, but I have no doubt that this is where I want to be.”

“In your office?” Angel joked and Alastor laughed, releasing Angel’s hand to cradle the spider’s face as Angel wrapped his lower set around the Overlord. The radio demon hummed, stroking the spider’s fur as enjoyed the difference in sensations between his two hands. “Or in my arms?”

“Perhaps both.” Alastor chuckled, pulling the spider down for a kiss. As their lips touched, Alastor released a heavy sigh, allowing himself to get lost in that blissful moment.


	26. My Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was happy he had been able to talk Alastor into telling her beforehand, but it was still obvious that Charlie was hurt by her parents essentially replacing her.

For the first time since finding out, Angel wished that he _couldn’t_ feel Alastor’s emotions. The radio demon was squeezing his hand tightly as he, Angel, Charlie and Vaggie made their way towards the throne room, the two siblings having been summoned by their father. None of them doubted that it was to announce Alastor’s coronation, and so both the princess and soon to be prince had brought their respective others along for support. Alastor had the added claim that Lucifer’s protection wouldn’t begin until he was crowned, so he was still responsible for making sure the spider stayed safe.

But as they walked up the long hallway and whispers followed the couples’ every step, Angel’s own nervousness and embarrassment was multiplied by Alastor’s and it was an understatement to say that he was starting to overwhelmed by the feedback of emotion. It was as if the sensation were bouncing back and forth between them, growing and intensifying with every pass. Angel groaned, trying to do his best to think about anything other than the pain in his chest.

“So, how will this work?” Vaggie piped up and for the first time since meeting her, Angel was _glad_ that she didn’t know how to shut up. “Lucifer is just…going to denounced Charlie?”

“No Vaggie, it’s not that dramatic.” Charlie smiled, shaking her head as she snuck a kiss on her girlfriend’s cheek. Alastor quickly released Angel’s hand as Charlie turned to look at him, the radio demon a nervous wreck in spite of the confident smile he wore. “Lucifer will first announce that Alastor is his son by a human woman, giving him a right to the throne. Alastor will have to affirm that he is making a claim and Lucifer and Lilith will have to accept or deny it.”

“No offense, Charlie, but that actually sounds _more_ dramatic.” Angel chuckled, easing some of his own tension and he could feel the effects passing on to Alastor. _Good. “_ Can’t Lucifer just like, wave his hand and be like, Alastor’s my heir now, crowning next Thursday? _”_

“This is Hell, Angel. Things have to be as difficult and convoluted as possible.” Alastor chuckled, turning to look at the spider. To Vaggie and Charlie, it was a devious smile but Angel saw it for what it truly was: a smile of relief. “What kind of punishment would it be if things were _easy?_ ”

“Besides, it’s not as if this has ever _happened_ before.” Charlie sighed, bringing her hand to her chest and Angel couldn’t help his own twinge of regret. He was happy he had been able to talk Alastor into telling her beforehand, but it was still obvious that Charlie was _hurt_ by her parents essentially replacing her. “Father has had numerous other children over the years but he’s never wanted one to replace me before.”

“Wait? _Numerous?_ ” Angel spat, unable to help his surprise. “Does, Lilith like, not care that Lucifer’s sleeping with other women?”

“Um…well…Mom is a succubus…so…” Charlie’s bright red cheeks became redder and even Vaggie seemed embarrassed by Angel’s statement. The spider turned as Alastor laughed, but Angel could also feel a twinge of embarrassment from the radio demon. What had he said? Why was…Oh. _OH._

 _“_ Oh, uh kinky.” Angel offered awkwardly, earning himself a glare from both Alastor and Vaggie as Charlie buried her face in her hands, still refusing to look at the spider.

“ _Anyway,_ don’t be so hard on yourself, Charlie. Like Alastor said, they’re not disowning you and now you can just do what you want.” Vaggie did her best to change the conversation and comfort the demoness, shooting another glare towards Alastor, who merely hummed. “ _He’s_ the one who gets to be stuck with sucking up to that asshole.”

“And I have no intention of doing such a thing.” Alastor chuckled, the four of them pausing as they arrived in front of the doors. Angel felt as Alastor’s nervousness returned and he could only imagine that the same feeling was filling Charlie. Angel had only met the King once and he had been pumped so full of drugs he barely remembered the encounter, as Val had been pimping him out to Lucifer that night. The group remained frozen at the door, none of them having the courage to push them open and the spider sighed, finally pushing himself to the front.

“Can’t stand out here all day.” He breathed, finally pushing open the heavy doors and revealing them to the crowd that waited inside. Angel took a deep breath as he walked in, and he could feel Alastor’s trepidation as he followed. Soon, the royal siblings overtook him and Angel was stopped as Vaggie held him back, the pair sliding in amongst the crowd of demons that waited. The spider could feel Alastor’s surprise at there being so many present but Angel shrugged as he glanced around. It only seemed to be other Overlords and royalty as he spotted Rosie, Velvet and Stolas among those present. He tried to see if Valentino was around, but he failed to notice the moth’s tall red hat and antennae and Angel couldn’t help his relief.

“Ah, it seems you’re both finally here.” Lucifer cooed from his throne, sitting up slightly as the two approached the King and Queen and Angel was surprised as he watched Charlie grab Alastor’s hand. The radio demon looked down with confusion before slowly taking it and Angel grunted, looking away. He knew that it was either some sort of formal thing they had to do or Charlie merely looking for comfort but the spider couldn’t help his jealousy. He looked down to see a scowl on Vaggie’s face and he knew the moth didn’t like it any more than he did.

“There you are, my little spider~” Angel felt his skin crawl as two hands came down on his shoulders and Alastor whipped his head around quickly as he felt the spider’s fear. Angel watched as he started to turn, about to return to where he and Vaggie stood when Charlie jerked his hand, forcing Alastor to remain. Vagatha was growling next to Angel, glaring at the Overlord that stood behind the spider. Valentino leaned down, gently caressing Angel’s cheek. “You’ve been very, _very bad lately._ ”

“What do you want, Valentino?” Vaggie hissed, taking Angel’s hand and pulling him away from the moth. Angel’s heart started to beat again as he felt Val’s fingers let him go and he looked up to the moth with fear in his eyes. He could faintly hear Lucifer talking in the background, but all of his attention was locked on the Overlord in front of him. Val was wearing another dark suit and a shorter black hat, revealing why Angel had failed to spot him earlier. The moth grinned a toothy grin, tapping his gold tooth as he smiled at Angel and the spider brought his hand to his mouth, scowling slightly. How he wished he could _rip the darn thing out._ “I hope you’re not planning to cause a scene.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it. I just wanted to see how my little Angel was doing, since I haven’t seen him at work lately.” Valentino cooed, his red eyes locked on Angel. Angel felt his heart pound and a rush of frustration from Alastor, who wanted nothing more than to dash back to the spider’s side. “I do recall that part of our deal was that Angel _would_ continue working for _me._ ”

“Well, the situation’s changed a bit, Valentino.” Vaggie sighed, crossing her arms as she glanced back toward the throne, Angel and Val following her gaze. Lilith and Lucifer were both standing directly in front of Charlie and Alastor, the King’s wings spread behind him and his wife. Lilith seemed to have a sad smile on her face as she took her daughter’s hand, pulling Charlie to stand beside her. The demoness moved gracefully and Angel could still see the tear streaks as she stood beside her mother.

“Alastor’s coronation will be one week from now, and I hope you all look forward to it.” Lucifer grinned, casting his gaze across the crowd, resting his eyes on Angel. The King’s grin grew as their eyes met and Angel felt a twinge of fear from that expression before the King’s eyes moved up to the Moth behind him. The spider heard as Valentino growled, understanding what had just happened and he grabbed Angel’s arm roughly, pulling Angel close as he wrapped his lower arms around the spider’s waist. Angel winced as Val leaned over him, grabbing the spider’s chin roughly.

“Don’t think you’ll be free of me _that_ easily, my little Angel. I know about your little bond with that radio and it changes nothing.” Valentino cooed, loosening his grip slightly as Angel felt Alastor’s anger and frustration erupt in him. The spider closed his eyes, trying to focus on those emotions rather than his fear as Valentino kissed his fur. “I don’t care who you’re Bound to. You’ll _always be mine._ ”

“Not for much longer.” Angel spat as he opened his eyes, letting Alastor’s anger fill him. That’s right, he had no reason to be afraid anymore: soon he would be _free._ “Once my bond with him is mature, you’ll have no claim to me.”

“ _And then where will you go, hmmm?_ The princess has lost her status, that Hotel is little more than a joke now.” Valentino hissed, pulling Angel tighter again as he squeezed the spider’s face in his hand. “ You won’t have a choice but to-”

Valentino was interrupted as Alastor’s Shadow rose the floor, breaking his hold on Angel and he felt as Vaggie grabbed him, pulling him further away from the Overlord. The Shadow hovered in between Angel and Valentino, its red eyes locked on the moth before it slowly sunk back into the floor, disappearing into Angel’s shadow. The moth growled as he watched, glancing back up to Alastor at the throne. Angel turned as well to see Alastor with Lucifer’s hands on his shoulders, the radio demon’s eyes locked on Valentino.

‘- _ouch him._ ’ He heard as Alastor’s voice dripped with venom through his mind and Angel’s eyes widened as he realized what had just happened. He…was beginning to hear Alastor’s thoughts and he waited impatiently to see if he would hear more, but none came. Angel felt Alastor’s confusion at his excitement but the spider shook his head.

“I wouldn’t count on it, _Valentino._ ” Angel sneered, turning back to look at his boss. _Soon to be former boss._ The Moth glared back down at the spider, his eyes narrowing as Angel smiled up at him, for once happy to be smiling at Valentino. “ _After all, it’s only a matter of time._ ”

“We’ll see, little spider.” Valentino hissed, turning away from Angel and Vaggie as the announcement ended and Angel could feel as Alastor began to rush back to his side, the radio’s anger and relief filling him. Angel watched as the moth disappeared back into the crowd of demons leaving the throne room and he turned back as Charlie and Alastor reached them, Charlie reaching to grab Angel’s hand.

“Angel! Are you okay? Did Val hurt you?”

“Nah, I’m good.” Angel smiled as Charlie threw her arms around him and the spider gently returned her hug. He looked up to meet Alastor’s eyes to see the radio demon watching him strangely.

‘ _-n’t like this. Stop touching him._ ’ Angel chuckled as he caught Alastor’s thoughts again and he decided to see if it worked both ways.

‘ _Don’t worry, Smiles. I’m all yours._ ’ Angel tried to focus on passing the thought to the radio demon, and his smile grew as he saw Alastor’s eyes widened. Angel chuckled as Alastor fought to cover his blush and the spider felt his chest begin to fill with their combined happiness.

_Only a matter of time._


	27. Our Triumph

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I still want you. I want to be with you, Alastor. I don’t care if it’s only because we’re Soulbound.”

Angel couldn’t help his shout of joy as he stepped into Alastor’s radio tower, allowing himself to fall backwards on the couch as the radio in the corner sprung to life. He hugged himself tightly as he giggled, rolling on the couch as he felt Alastor’s happiness join his own, the new prince closing the door as he stepped in. Alastor and Angel had decided to return back to the Tower rather than the Hotel, agreeing with Charlie and Vaggie that Valentino would probably be waiting for their return. The Moth knew he still had his claim to Angel’s soul via the contract and was probably planning to take Angel before the bond could validate Alastor’s claim, something neither the prince or princess were willing to allow.

“You seem quite ecstatic at this change.” Alastor spoke calmly as he moved to make tea but Angel merely chuckled, sitting up from the couch. He couldn’t help the broad grin as he watched the radio demon retrieve the kettle from its home, setting it in the sink to fill it with water. The spider silently slipped behind Alastor, leaning to look up into the radio demon’s face as the water flowed into the pot.

“Don’t act you aren’t~” Angel cooed, gently tapping Alastor’s arm as he asked for permission to touch him. The spider giggled as the radio demon nodded and he placed a kiss on Alastor’s neck before burying his face against the fabric. He stood, wrapping his lower arms tightly around Alastor’s waist. “Your acting doesn’t work when I can feel how happy you are.”

“I suppose you have a point, but I have an image to keep.” Alastor chuckled, placing one of his hands over Angel’s before lacing his fingers with the spider’s. Alastor leaned back slightly into his arms and Angel hummed as he wrapped his second set around Alastor’s chest, holding the prince tightly. He kissed Alastor’s neck again, enjoying the small happy grunt he received in return. “I _am_ still an Overlord with a reputation to uphold.”

“Not in here, you aren’t.” Angel reminded him, slowly releasing the radio demon as he moved to set the pot on the stove. The spider reached to retrieve their favorite mugs, setting them on the counter as Alastor brought out the tea, allowing Angel to look over the selection. Angel was starting to become more adventurous in the teas he tried and he looked up from the various bags to meet the radio demon’s gaze. “Which is your favorite?”

“My favorite?” Angel giggled at Alastor’s surprise at the question and the radio demon’s embarrassment as he thought over his answer. Angel’s smile faded as he felt the ache in Alastor’s chest and he became concerned as he watched Alastor turn away from him, reaching back into the cabinet where he kept his tea. The radio demon slowly stood and Angel knew that whatever Alastor had pulled out had to do with him and Mimzy. The tin had a beautiful floral patten, and the radio demon hugged it close to his chest as he sighed.

“Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe _._ ” Alastor whispered, slowly turning as he set the container down on the counter. Angel immediately noticed that it was loose tea rather than bagged and when Alastor opened the tin, the spider was struck by the floral smell. “It’s among the highest grade of black tea and was very expensive when I was alive. Still expensive, as it is hard to find down here. It was…supposed to celebrate my reunion with Mimzy.”

“Al, I-”

“But now,” Alastor continued, looking up to meet Angel’s gaze and the spider was filled with the radio demon’s hope as their eyes met. “It can celebrate me moving on.”

Angel was once again overcome with Alastor’s emotions, and he had to turn away, covering his face as the radio demon’s desire filled him. He heard as Alastor began preparing the loose leaves, measuring out the correct amount for both of them as he placed the small strainers over both of their mugs. Angel _wanted_ to believe that the bond had nothing to do with Alastor’s affection but would Alastor have ever wanted him without it? If not for Alastor protecting him, would _he_ have ever wanted Alastor?

“Here.” Angel turned back as Alastor handed him the cup of tea and the spider accepted it, breathing in the sweet scent of the fresh tea. It definitely smelled better than the normal black tea and he tentatively took a sip. It was delicious, as he had expected, and he hummed happily, sipping more of the hot beverage. He heard the radio demon chuckle and Angel looked down to see Alastor watching him, still holding his cup in his hands. “I’m glad you like it.”

“It’s good.” Angel affirmed, blushing slightly as he looked back down into his tea. The spider sighed, placing his tea down on the counter as he fidgeted with his hands, chancing another glance at Alastor. The radio demon was taking a sip of his own tea, keeping his eyes on the spider and Angel watched Alastor frown as the spider’s uncertainty hit him.

“Is something wrong, Anthony?”

“I…Alastor, I don’t think I’ll ever know what _might_ have happened without the bond.” The spider began, carefully pushing Alastor’s mug down as he closed the gap between them. The radio demon allowed him, carefully setting his mug on the counter next to Angel’s as the spider took a deep breath, focusing on what he wanted to say. “I also can’t say that doesn’t bother me. I can’t say that this doesn’t just feel like another cage.”

“Angel-”

“That being said,” Angel interrupted, wrapping his arms tightly around Alastor, hugging the shorter Overlord tightly against his body. He did his best to pour of all his desire through their bond, hoping that Alastor could understand what he had finally decided. “I still want you. I want to be with you, Alastor. I don’t care if it’s only because we’re Soulbound.”

‘ _-want you too, Angel._ ’ Angel chuckled as he heard part of Alastor’s thought, pulling back to allow the radio demon to speak. Alastor had his hands awkwardly on Angel’s waist, the demon’s cheeks almost as red as his jacket. “I keep saying that I don’t want to trap you, but I’m not willing to let you go either.”

“Well, at least I know what I’m getting myself into this time.” Angel chuckled weakly, lifting Alastor’s chin as he touched his head to the Overlord’s. “At least I know I’m not being tricked this time.”

“Hmmm, shall I trap you literally then?” Alastor offered, and Angel pulled away, confused by Alastor’s offer. The radio demon was still blushing, but he had a devious smile on his face as he looked up to the spider. Angel tried to understand the emotion Alastor was feeling, but for once, he couldn’t relate to it. “After all, I have no intention of allowing my sister to redeem you, so there is no reason for you to stay at her Hotel.”

“Then where-” Angel began to question but Alastor stopped him, placing a gloved finger across the spider’s lips.

“Now, Anthony I _know_ you can’t be that dense.” Alastor chuckled and Angel’s cheeks caught fire as it dawned on him what the radio demon was suggesting and he watched as Alastor’s grin grew wider at feeling the spider’s embarrassment.

“But! Al, this is your home!”

“And so it shall be yours as well.”

“I have a pet! I can’t leave Fat Nuggets.”

“He can come as well, obviously.”

“There’s only one bed!” Angel finally spat, attempting to free himself from the radio demon as Alastor laughed. The spider started to grow concerned as he felt Alastor wrap his arm tighter around his waist, pressing their bodies awfully close together as he dragged his free hand from Angel’s face to his chest. He grabbed the fur roughly, and Angel had to bite his lip to keep from moaning as the radio demon toyed with his fur.

“ _A concern I never expected to hear from you._ ” Alastor teased, although Angel could feel the slight hesitance in Alastor’s words. Angel fought to keep himself from growing aroused as the radio demon pulled him closer, their hips just a _little too close._ “Is being with me making you chaste, my dear Anthony?”

“You don’t like that sort of stuff.” Angel argued, looking away as Alastor removed his hand from Angel’s chest and moved to caress the spider’s thigh. He dragged his fingertips along the spider’s fur again, and this time Angel was unable to help the slight gasp as Alastor grabbed his ass, practically shoving Angel against him.

“I _didn’t_ like this sort of stuff.” The radio demon reminded him, chuckling as he moved his hand from Angel’s waist and Angel watched with surprise as Alastor deftly removed his bow tie, allowing the top of his jacket to fall open. Not that Angel could see more of the radio demon, but to watch Alastor remove his bow tie, all while pressing their bodies close together, all while maintaining eye contact with him, the spider couldn’t help his growing arousal. “I _was_ married, Anthony. I may not be keen on sex, _but I know_ how to pleasure my partner.”

“G-g-good to know.” Angel finally conceded, looking away from the shorter demon. _This_ was not anything he had ever expected from Alastor and for once, Angel had no idea how to handle someone coming on to him. He always expected that if things ever got sexual he would be the one to initiate but to have Alastor take control like this, it was strange, it was…

_Fucking Hot as Shit._

“Well, will that suffice, Angel? Once I am crowned and you are free, you will stay here with me?” Alastor finally returned to the topic at hand, releasing Angel as the spider did his best to calm himself down. Angel quickly clutched his semi warm tea, drinking the beverage as he considered his answer. There wasn’t much to consider, given his confession, and if he was going to stay Soulbound to Alastor, it’s not like he could be redeemed anyway, right? Angel chuckled, shaking his head as he downed the rest of his tea. Didn’t mean he couldn’t have some fun.

“Yeah, on one condition.”


	28. Your Torment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He felt Angel’s slight nervousness and Alastor allowed himself a nervous chuckle as the spider straddled his lap. “So, touch me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Light Smut in this chapter, but nothing to heavy :)

“ _Let me touch you._ ” Alastor felt his heart jump as the words left the spider’s lips, his eyes locked on Angel as he watched the spider finish his tea. The spider was giving him a soft smile and from his embarrassment, Alastor knew Angel didn’t mean it in a sexual way. Which somehow, made it worse.

“Touch me?”

“I…want to feel your skin. I’ve seen the scars on your arms, I just…” Alastor grabbed his sleeves, almost as if Angel mentioning them made the radio remember them himself. Angel seemed to notice Alastor’s reluctance and the spider quickly backtracked, tapping on his empty mug as Alastor felt Angel’s heavy regret at asking. “Never mind, you don’t have to. I just…never mind. Of course I’ll stay here.”

Alastor remained silent, trying to understand the barrage of emotions coming from the spider. Regret, hope, happiness, arousal…all related to Alastor’s offer and his desire to touch the radio demon. Angel merely stared into his cup, avoiding Alastor’s gaze as the radio demon stared. As much as Alastor professed his desire to have Angel, could he completely open up to him? The bond forced him to be emotionally open, but was he ready to allow himself to be physical open?

“Come.” Alastor pushed himself off the counter, motioning for Angel to follow him. He felt the spider’s confusion as Angel set down his cup and started after the radio demon. Alastor slowly began to climb the stairs, chuckling softly to himself as he felt the confusion give way to surprise. Alastor snapped to stop his radio as he climbed, slowly opening the door to his dark bedroom. It seemed that nighttime had fallen while he and Angel had been downstairs and Alastor sighed with relief: now he didn’t need to darken the room.

“Al?” Alastor left the door open as he walked over to the bed, sitting on the edge as Angel stood in the doorway, hesitance filling them both. Alastor sighed as he motioned for Angel to come in, and the spider jumped as the door slammed shut behind him, plunging the pair into total darkness.

“Come here, Angel.” Alastor cooed, sending his Shadow to gently guide the spider in the darkness. Alastor felt as the Angel made it to the bed, awkwardly feeling for radio demon in the darkness, causing Alastor to chuckle. He held his hand out until the spider bumped into his arm and Angel clung to the radio demon’s hand as Alastor pulled him closer. The Overlord ran his hand up Angel’s shoulder until he felt his face, leaning up to sneak a kiss from the spider’s lips.

“Al, I can’t see.” Angel complained and Alastor chuckled, stroking the spider’s fur.

“That’s the idea, dear Anthony.” Alastor slid his hand back down and, pressing the spider’s hand against his chest, began falling backwards on the bed as he pulled the spider on top of him. He felt Angel’s slight nervousness and Alastor allowed himself a nervous chuckle as the spider straddled his lap. “So, touch me.”

“I think you’re a bit overdressed for that.” Angel retorted and Alastor laughed, allowing the sound to ease his tension as he released the spider to run his hand along Angel’s jacket, sliding his hand up to unbutton the article.

“ _Then you should fix that._ ” Alastor chuckled as he popped the first button and he felt as Angel gave him the same courtesy. Button by button, until both of their jackets lay open and Alastor sighed as he ran his fingers along Angel’s fur. As much as he still didn’t care for the spider’s strange anatomy, he _really_ enjoyed his soft fur and Alastor leaned up to press himself against it. He shifted his shoulders as Angel pushed his coat away and he couldn’t help but flinch as he felt the spider reach for the edge of his turtleneck.

“You okay Al?” Angel pulled away, opting to run his finger under the radio demon’s suspenders instead. “ _Suspenders? Really?_ ”

“They’re called braces.” Alastor corrected, pushing Angel’s jacket from the spider’s shoulders as he ran his fingers through the soft fur, frowning as he felt some of the spider’s old scars. His concern mounted by the _sheer_ number his fingers found hidden in the fur and the radio demon pulled away as Angel unsnapped the braces. “Are _all_ of these from Valentino?”

“And Vox and Velvet, and some customers that like it rough.” Angel admitted, placing his hands back on the radio demon’s shoulders. Alastor could feel Angel’s shame and his frown deepened as he sat up completely, pushing Angel up as well. He felt the trepidation as he carefully took one of Angel’s free hands, and Alastor took a deep breath as he removed Angel’s glove. He heard as Angel removed the other three, fully removing his jacket before returning the hand to the radio demon. Slowly, Alastor slid Angel’s hand under his shirt, shivering at the warm touch against his chest and he felt as Angel’s fear gave way to astonishment.

Alastor released the spider as Angel slid another hand to join the first, this time sliding his hand up the radio demon’s back. The Overlord couldn’t help his soft groan as Angel inspected every scar his fingers found, his awe and worry growing with each new addition.

“Al…” Alastor buried his face back into the spider’s soft chest, dreading the question he knew was on the spider’s lips. “ _Where did you get these? When?_ ”

“Another time, Anthony.” _That_ was not a weakness he was ready to reveal and he slowly tried to shift the focus away from his scars, dipping his hands lower on Angel’s body, once again grabbing the spider’s posterior, or lack thereof. Alastor sighed with disappointment as he touched the spider over his skirt: Angel was _really_ lucky that he enjoyed him more for his personality than his looks.

“Hey, I ain’t _that_ disappointing!” Alastor chuckled as the spider’s quick retort, burying his laugh into Angel’s chest as he huffed above him, pulling his hands away from Alastor’s skin. The radio demon grabbed the spider tighter as Angel tried to push him off, his laugher and mirth growing. “I ain’t fucking thick like Mimzy but at least I want ya!”

“Very true, little Angel.” Alastor cooed, quickly peeling off his gloves as he gripped Angel’s ass tighter, pulling the spider further into his lap as he dug his black nails into the spider’s fur. Angel moaned slightly, Alastor pulling the spider down as he fell back on the bed, enjoying the feel of Angel’s fur against him. Angel quickly wrapped all of his arms around the radio demon, once again sliding his hands under the radio demon’s shirt. He seemed unbothered by the scars this time, hugging the Overlord tightly as Alastor grinded his hips into the spider, feeling himself grow aroused.

 _This…_ Alastor didn’t want to admit it, but he had missed this too. The chance to be this intimate with someone, and thanks to them being Bound, Alastor could feel the spider’s arousal as well. Alastor slid his hands up Angel’s body, careful to slowly drag his hand up the spider’s spine, loving as the demon squirmed under his teasing touch. A part of him wanted to touch lower, but he was unsure how to please the spider and what would make Angel uncomfortable. Angel had never talked about his body to Alastor, probably due to thinking the radio demon was uninterested, and so Alastor was clueless as which anatomy the spider preferred.

“ _Al…_ ” Alastor’s heart skipped a beat as he heard Angel moan his name and even though it wasn’t his first time hearing it, it filled him with a warmth he had not felt in decades. Alastor grabbed Angel’s face, kissing the spider deeply as he continued dragging his hands along Angel’s back. The radio demon delighted in drinking the spider’s soft moans, and he slowly slid his hand back down, pulling up the demon’s skirt. Angel whimpered as Alastor teasingly dragged his hands over the spider’s posterior, purposefully keeping his fingers from anywhere intimate. “ _Cazzo…_ ”

“Hmmm, more Italian I see.” Alastor purred, his arousal throbbing as he heard that soft word flow from the spider’s lips. He kissed Angel again, grinding himself up into the spider once more, releasing a sigh of his own as he felt the warmth that shot through the spider from such a simple action. It had been a long time, but perhaps he could use the spider’s reactions to guide him through this. “I hope it’s a good thing, _mon meuf~_ ”

“ _It is~_ ” Angel affirmed and the radio demon chuckled as he started to dip his fingers lower, gently pushing against the spider’s wet slit. At this, Angel pulled away and Alastor stopped, worried that he had done exactly what he was afraid of. He was surprised to feel fear mixed with Angel’s desire as he heard the spider demon breathe above him and for a moment, he wished that he could see Angel’s face. Or at least hear the spider’s thoughts, but their current bond would only allow him to catch fragments. “Al…I don’t-I’m not sure I’m ready for…”

“That’s…alright, Anthony. You can tell me no.” Alastor sighed, trying to keep his disappointment from spilling through their bond. He carefully pulled his hand back, rolling them so that the spider lay beside him on the bed. Angel adjusted his arms so that Alastor wasn’t laying on him, and the radio demon carefully grabbed two of the spider’s hands, lacing their bare fingers together. “There’s no rush.”

“I-”

“You don’t have to make an excuse.” Alastor interrupted, pulling their conjoined hands against his face as he felt the spider’s regret at turning him down. He leaned forward to gently kiss the spider’s forehead, hoping to ease his concern. “I merely allowed myself to get carried away. I should have asked.”

“It’s not that I don’t want it. I do. I want…you to touch me.” Angel insisted, gripping the radio demon’s hands tighter as he shivered and Alastor started to become concerned. He briefly released Angel to throw the bedsheet over both of them, quickly taking the spider’s hands again as he pulled him closer to his body. He felt Angel’s hesitance as the spider let out a shaky sigh, once again squeezing Alastor’s hands. “I just…I want to wait.”

“That’s perfectly fine, Angel.” Alastor affirmed, planting another kiss to the spider in his arms. He sighed as he finally felt some of Angel’s regret fade away and the spider wrapped his free arms around Alastor’s waist, tangling their legs together. “Tonight, let’s…let’s just sleep tonight.”

“Thank you, Al.” Angel breathed, burying his face into Alastor’s chest. Soon the radio demon heard the spider’s soft snores and he sighed with relief as he released the spider’s hands, slightly adjusting himself so he could lay more comfortably. Alastor hummed softly to himself, gently running his hands along Angel’s soft fur, careful not to wake his partner.

“ _You’re welcome, Angel._ ”


	29. His Betrayal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “He chose me, Husk.” Angel finally spat, crossing his arms across his chest as his anger started to get the better of him.

Angel sighed as he stepped out of the library, closing the doors quietly behind him. The day of Alastor’s coronation had finally arrived and since Charlie and Vaggie would be at the event, Alastor had managed to talk Rosie into watching over the Hotel and Angel. They all knew that if Val was planning something, today would be the day he would act on it, since Alastor had keep the spider practically glued to his side in the past week. The demoness and cyclops remained in the library, cuddled close together as they watched the event.

“Soon, soon it’ll all be over.” Angel breathed, pushing himself off the door. Once Alastor was crowned, Lucifer’s protection would officially begin and there would be nothing to fear from Valentino. Despite not being happy about it, the radio demon had begrudgingly consented to Angel returning to work, although he demanded that his terms of employment and compensation would have to be reworked with Val. Despite everything, Angel _did_ enjoy his work, and he wanted to be able to continue, just of his own will. He had finally told Alastor why he was so precious to the moth and to say that the radio demon was upset was an understatement.

“Thought you’d be in there watching.” Angel took a deep breath as he heard Husk’s voice, and the spider did his best to ignore the cat sitting on the stairs. Niffty was sitting beside her partner, neither of them seeming interested in watching Alastor’s crowning as she gently petted Husk. The cat was glaring at the spider, an expression to which Angel answered with a smile. “Shouldn’t miss you _boyfriend’s_ coronation.”

“You’re right, Husk. He _is my boyfriend._ ” Angel retorted, smiling smugly as Husk’s glare deepened and the spider noticed as a grimace crossed Niffty’s face. Husk sighed as he noticed, gently hugging the tiny cyclops before sending her away. Niffty nodded, planting a quick kiss on the cat before bouncing past Angel, taking a moment to stick her tongue out at the spider as she passed. Angel returned her childish gesture, returning his gaze to Husk. “One would think you’d be over it since you’re ‘happily’ Bound to someone else.”

“I _am_ happy with Niffty, and I _know_ Alastor won’t be happy with _you._ ” Husk hissed, his tail thumping on the stairs behind him. “I’ve known the bastard for years, Angel. Don’t assume you know him because you’ve known him for a couple months and can feel his emotions.”

“I know there’s a lot I don’t know about Al.” Angel admitted, shrugging his shoulders. After all, he wasn’t _that_ naïve and he knew their relationship would be far from smooth. Despite that, it didn’t change what he wanted. What Alastor wanted. “He’s opened up to me a bit, and I appreciate that, but we’ve got time. I’m in no rush. That’s the whole point.”

“Yeah, and what will you do when those true colors start to show? When he starts bringing his meals back to the Tower, screaming and pleading for their lives? When he devours them in front of you?” Angel felt his stomach turn at Husk’s words, even as he tried to put on a brave face. He _knew_ that what the cat was saying was bound to happen at some point, and honestly, Angel had tried not to think about it. There was a darker side to Alastor that Angel had only glimpsed, and he knew eventually he would have to face it. Whether or not he’d be able to accept it…Angel honestly didn’t know. Husk seemed to see the hesitation on the spider’s face and he scoffed as he watched. “That’s what I thought. You’ll _never_ accept him for what he _really is. A Monster_.”

“H-He’s more than just his eating habits, Husk.” Angel stammered, trying to take a deep breath as he considered his words. The cat merely scoffed again, waiting to see what the spider would retort with. Angel closed his eyes, considering the conversation he had with Cherri. Cherri admitted to also being somewhat scared of Rosie, although she wouldn’t say what it was that the Overlord had done. Seeing Cherri scared was terrifying to Angel, as he had never seen the cyclops scared of anything before and he had tried to press her into breaking the bond. But that was when Cherri smiled softly and…

“He’s more than just his eating habits, more than just his work.” Angel repeated, a soft smile coming to his face. “It’s important, I get that and sure I may not like it, but I don’t get to take that from him and it won’t change how I feel. My work is important to me too and if Al can respect that about me, then I can do the same for him.”

“Fuck, you’re still planning to be a slut, even while you’re supposed to be with Al? _You’re fucking disgusting._ ” Husk spat, his face contorting with his disapproval. “You claim to care about him, but you can’t even keep your legs closed and stay loyal. Guess you can’t get your kicks without getting multiple­­ dick shoved up your ass.”

“He _chose me, Husk._ ” Angel finally spat, crossing his arms across his chest as his anger started to get the better of him. He was _not_ going to let the cat get to him this time, no matter what he said. “I think it’s time for you to get over it and give up. You tried once and failed, time to bow out gracefully.”

“I _refuse to let you hurt him._ ” At this Husk finally stood, walking up to Angel as he spat his words. The spider scoffed at the shorter demon, still fighting his anger as he met the cat’s glare evenly. Husk grabbed Angel’s bow tie, yanking the spider demon down to his level. “Even if he doesn’t want me, I’m not going to sit back and let you hurt him.”

“Jealousy isn’t a good look for you, Husk.” Angel sneered, flicking the Husk’s hat as he pulled away sharply. He _really_ wanted to be understanding, but Husk had brought this on himself. “I wish I could say I understand, but I don’t.”

“No, Angel. _You don’t and you never could._ ” Husk breathed, leaning back from the spider. Angel was slightly surprised as Husk walked back toward the stairs, sitting back on the steps. The cat almost seemed…hesitant, but then Husk sighed deeply, looking away from Angel entirely. “You won’t leave him, will you? You’ll just keep him chained to your side.”

“Hm, I’m not keeping Alastor chained anywhere.” Angel spat, looking away from Husk. “If anything, he’s the one trapping me and I like my new cage.”

“I won’t let you hurt him.” Husk repeated, still looking away even as Angel turned to look at the him. The cat was still sitting on the stairs, mumbling to himself as he looked at the wall. “I’ll make him see that I’m right.”

“Yeah, and how the fuck are ya gonna do that?”

“Oh, I wonder, little Angel.” The spider’s blood ran cold as he heard the Moth’s voice and he looked up the stairs to see Valentino at the top of the steps. Angel’s heart pounded with fear as he watched the moth’s slow descent, each step pounding in his ears. He turned a surprised look to Husk, before his anger caused him to shake with rage. Tears streamed down his face as he stomped toward the cat, but he quickly found himself restrained by Velvet, covering his mouth with her hand.

“Hush, little spider, don’t say a word.” She cooed, looking back to the library. Angel watched as Vox dragged his hand along the doors, quickly melting them shut with a bolt of electricity. Cherri had told Angel that Rosie wasn’t as versatile as Alastor when it came to moving around in her shadow, and hers wasn’t alive like the radio demon’s. Without an opening, Rosie would be trapped in the library with Cherri and even if she managed to find a small enough space to slip out, how long would it take them to find it?

“I might be jealous, Angel, and I won’t deny that.” Husk sighed, standing up from the steps as Valentino reached him, patting the cat. Husk hissed and Niffty quickly appeared, baring her teeth at the moth, causing Valentino to recoil as her distorted features. “But I’m doing this for Alastor, not me. You’re only going to hurt him, and I won’t wait for that to happen.”

“ _FUCK YOU!_ ” Angel screamed as he bit Velvet’s hand, forcing the doll to release him temporarily as she recoiled from the pain. Angel quickly shifted into his demon form, his third set of arms quickly sprouting from his side as he spat webbing at the cat. Niffty quickly intercepted, leaping from Husk to catch the sticky web, shoving it in her open mouth as she grinned. Angel hissed, moving to attack Husk when Velvet managed to catch him again, this time wrapping him in her hair as he tried to pull against her.

“Don’t worry little Kitty cat, I’m _sure_ you’re doing this for all the right reasons.” Valentino cooed, blowing a kiss to Husk. The cat grunted, turning away from the moth as Valentino smiled.

“As long as you don’t hurt him, Lucifer won’t interfere. Alastor’s deal was only to protect him from physical abuse and that’s still valid even once you break the bond.” Husk reminded the moth, quickly scooping up Niffty as she returned to his side, planting a kiss on the cat’s cheek. Angel hissed as he met the cat’s gaze, angry tears pouring down his face. “I’ll handle Alastor when he comes back, give you enough time to do what you need to.”

“ _Like fuck you will. Alastor’s gonna fucking kill ya. Val has no claim to me anymore._ ” Angel sneered before doubling over in his bonds, Vox having walked over and punched him in the gut. He growled at the TV demon, who chuckled down at the spider before punching him again.

“Had to get at least a few more in before I’m not allowed.” Vox grinned, humming as Val came up behind him, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend. “Besides, your bond with that radio isn’t fully mature, and there is _one_ more way to break it before Val’s contract is broken.”

“Indeed there is, and thanks to Husk here, we _know_ all about it.” Velvet giggled, poking Angel’s cheek as she held him in her hair. She grinned menacingly, her twisted glee covering her face as she laughed. Angel struggled against the hair more, trying to pull at least one of his arms free: _Alastor…he needed to tell Alastor!_ “ _Oh, this is going to be so much fun._ ”

“And just because I can’t hit you,” Valentino released Vox as he walked up to Angel, placing his disgusting hand on the spider’s chin. Angel pulled against his restraints, finally hearing as Cherri and Rosie tried to get the door to the library open, but he knew they would be too late. Even if Rosie could slip out _now,_ it was too late and Husk could easily lie about his involvement. Proof, he needed to leave her _proof_ that it was Husk. “ _Doesn’t mean I can’t hurt you in other ways, my little spider._ ”

Angel finally managed to free one of his arms as Velvet’s hair began to cocoon him, and he quickly reached into his jacket. He swiftly undid his bowtie and dropped it to the floor, praying that Alastor would understand as he was swallowed by darkness.


	30. My Fury

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Where.” Alastor’s voice was dangerous as he walked up to Rosie, doing his best to reign in his anger.

Alastor _knew_ something was wrong as soon as he stepped back into the Hotel. Cherri was kneeling in the middle of the lobby, clutching something silently to her chest as Rosie stood over her. Husk and Niffty sat silently on the stairs, both refusing to meet the radio demon’s gaze as he stepped in with Charlie and Vaggie. He didn’t bother looking for his Angel: no, he _knew_ Angel wasn’t there, because he couldn’t _feel_ the spider.

“ _Where._ ” Alastor’s voice was dangerous as he walked up to Rosie, doing his best to reign in his anger. He had only experimented with his new powers slightly during his afternoon broadcasts, and he wasn’t sure how well he could control them if he succumbed to his anger. He watched as the demoness slowly turned to face him, her expression as empty as her dark eyes.

“They took him.” Rosie stated, her voice calm as her black eyes met his. Alastor felt his anger flare with her words, but he swallowed it the best he could, walking closer to his fellow Overlord. “He stepped out of the library while we were watching the coronation, said he needed a moment. By time I heard him scream, they had sealed us in.”

“Us too.” Husk huffed, leaning into Niffty as she cradled him close to her on the steps. Alastor glared as he turned his gaze to the cat, but Husk shook his head, pulling Niffty closer. “By time we got out and downstairs, Rosie and Cherri were already free.”

“Gone…” Cherri cried, clutching the thing in her hand closer to her chest. Alastor took a deep breath as he finally reached the couple, his fingers digging into his palms, the blood dripping on the floor. _Calm. He needed to stay calm._ “He…They…were gone.”

“Give it to me, Cherri.” Alastor demanded, holding out his bleeding hand for the object she clutched. He knew whatever she had belonged to Angel and if the spider had left anything behind, there was a reason, and he needed to see it. The cyclops glanced up to Rosie and the demoness nodded to her partner, looking back to Alastor. The prince narrowed his eyes as Cherri stood, turning to face him as she held out the object in her hands. It was Angel’s bow tie, and Alastor’s anger gave way to confusion as he took it.

Rosie quickly pulled the cyclops away as Alastor looked over the article in hands, trying to figure out what Angel wanted him to see. It wasn’t anything special that he could tell: it was the same bow tie Angel always wore with his jacket, complete with the pink brooch. It smelled of the same rose and amber perfume Angel wore when he wasn’t at work and it didn’t seem torn or destroyed in any particular way. What had Angel wanted him to see: what was the clue?

When Alastor noticed it, he couldn’t help the laugh track that began to echo from him in his anger. He watched as Rosie pulled Cherri even further away and he heard as Vaggie did the same with Charlie. The radio demon hummed as he closed his eyes, his head growing heavy as his horns grew. He slowly turned to face the stairs, opening his red eyes to glare at Husk, a broad smile on Alastor’s face.

“And Where did you say you were when they took Angel?”

“Upstairs, with Niffty.” Husk grunted, although Alastor could smell the cat’s fear. He chuckled as he stood up straight, summoning his microphone to his hand as he rocked on his feet. He twirled the object behind his back, the laugh track growing louder in the lobby around them.

“And you weren’t down here at all before they took him?”

“No, I told you, they were gon-”

“Then please, Husk, explain to me.” Alastor cooed, his grin growing wider as he took a step toward the stairs. A spark of flame sprung from his heels and so the prince paused, attempting to reign in his power. It would have been pointless to ask Lucifer to leave the Hotel alone if he ended up burning it down himself. “Why _your fur is on Angel’s bow tie._ ”

“Maybe that’s a question you should be asking the ­slu-” But Husk didn’t get to finish the word as he was slammed against the wall, the tentacles wrapping tightly around his body. The laugh track abruptly ended, Alastor bringing one of his hands to his face as he struggled to maintain his form and he quickly trapped Niffty as well as she tried to run up the stairs.

“ _And to think after all these years, I thought you knew better than to betray me._ ” Alastor shook his head as he walked closer, releasing a soft ‘ _tsk tsk_ ’ as he approached the pair. “ _And all for what, Husk? A silly little thing like **jealousy?**_ ”

“ _I did it for you._ ” Husk spat and Alastor narrowed his eyes, curling his fists again to tighten his hold on the cat. He watched as Niffty cried out from the shared pain, but he ignored her. Even if she didn’t actively help him, the cyclops knew about it, which made her just as guilty as the cat. “You’re so blinded by that whore’s emotions you can’t see that all he’s gonna do is fuck you over. He just wants to be free of Valentino.”

“ _You think the only reason I want Angel is because I can feel his emotions?_ ” Alastor scoffed, squeezing his hand until his nails pierced his palms again, and he watched coldly as Husk spit up blood from being crushed. He heard Charlie start up toward him, but he shot his hand out, stopping her in her tracks. He glared at her over his shoulder, delighting in her scared expression. “Stay out of this, _sister._ ”

“You’ve never done this before. You don’t even _sound_ like yourself anymore.” Husk insisted, still defiantly calling out to the radio demon. Alastor had to admit, Husk’s resolve was one of the reasons he liked him so much, but he was in a _hurry_ right now. “Suddenly that stupid spider comes along, and you start changing everything for him. I _know_ that’s not you. You’re a monster and you love being one.”

“ _You’re right, Husker. I **am** a monster._” Alastor affirmed, chuckling as he kept his gaze on Charlie. She was shaking her head gently and he knew she was begging him not to kill Husk. He merely tightened his fist, loving the blood than ran down his arm as Niffty cried out. “ _One you should have known better than to upset by handing my things to someone else._ ”

“You should have asked Lucifer to break it.” Husk continued and Alastor turned back to the cat, slightly surprised he could still speak. Alastor released his fist to twirl his finger, one of the tentacles snaking its way up the cat’s body. “You were _supposed_ to have him break it _. That should have been the end of this._ ”

“A nice idea, but it seems you still don’t understand, Husk.” Alastor smiled as the appendage reached the cat’s face and he gently flicked the cat’s hat off, delighting as Husk spat up another helping of blood. Niffty groaned beside her partner from the pain and Alastor released her from his grasp. The tiny cyclops merely collapsed to the floor, clutching her clothing as she curled into a ball from the shared pain. “ _Angel is **mine** , and I have no intentions of giving him up. Now where did they take him?_”

“You won’t get there in time.” Husk spat, grunting as he was slammed into the floor, Niffty crying out from his pain. Alastor finished walking up to the bound cat, pressing his foot onto the dark appendages that wrapped Husk’s body. Alastor knew they wouldn’t be at the Studios; that would be too obvious, so they had to be at one of Val’s other clubs. “They’ll break it before you can get there.”

“ ** _Where is he?_** ” Alastor repeated, unable to help the blast of fire that radiated from him. He heard as Rosie quickly opened her umbrella, shielding herself and Cherri and Charlie quickly leapt forward, canceling out the wave with a blast of her own. He grinded his foot deeper into Husk, delighting in the whimper of pain that came from Niffty.

“Alastor, stop!” Charlie cried out but the radio demon ignored her, stabbing the tentacles into Husk’s body, laughing as he saw the blood that soaked the steps. Niffty screamed before passing out from the pain and Husk finally let out a cry, still looking up the radio demon defiantly. Alastor chuckled as he leaned down on his leg, squeezing out more of the cat’s precious, delicious blood.

“ ** _I’d answer quickly, Husker. I don’t think poor Niffty can take much more._** ” Alastor cooed, reaching down to stroke the cat’s fur. He watched as the cat glanced over the tiny cyclops on the stairs next to them, unconscious from the pain Alastor was inflicting on Husk. He chuckled as he saw the cat’s eyes softened and then Husk closed his eyes, refusing to look at the radio demon. _Such a useless bond indeed._

 _“_ Revolution. It’s in the south part of the Pentagram. _”_ The cat finally sighed and Alastor released him, turning away as he started toward the door. Charlie quickly walked past him, obviously hoping to help both Husk and Niffty after Alastor’s abuse. “You won’t get there in time.”

“I’ve already told you before, Husker. I don’t need to be Soulbound to Angel to make him mine.” The radio demon laughed, tapping his mic as he walked toward the door, slowly sinking into his shadow. “Although I will have to punish you for interfering _again._ ”

“So what? I’ve been waiting for you to kill me since this all started.” Husk spat, and the radio demon chuckled as he paused, halfway into the floor. Alastor summoned two contracts in his hand and he heard Rosie’s gasp of surprise as he glanced over his shoulder. Husk was still laying on the floor, but he had turned his head to see the radio demon. Alastor grinned broadly at the scared look on the cat’s face and he chucked as he finished sinking into the floor, the contracts burning in his hands.

“There are some things that are worse than death, my dear.”


	31. Our Song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The radio demon was glad she had decided to join him: with her by his side, there was less of a chance of him succumbing to his new powers and they could rescue Angel safely. “Now, let us retrieve your little spider.”

Alastor’s heart raced as he sped through the city, determined to find the club Husk had mentioned. He knew the cat had told him the truth: after all his goal had only been to slow Alastor down. The radio demon knew this and he felt his anger grow again as he snaked through the darkening streets. Even if Husk _did_ believe he was acting in Alastor’s best interests, he should have known better than to interfere a second time and now he could regret that choice for all eternity.

Alastor quickly rose from the ground, sparks of fire rising with the darkness as he stood in front of the brightly lit club. ‘ _Revolution_ ’ pulsed in bright orange lights and now that he was closer, Alastor could feel Angel’s trepidation. Good: they hadn’t started yet. He could still save him, and their bond.

“I didn’t know you would ever be so cruel with Husk.” Alastor released a deep breath as he heard Rosie rise from the ground next to him, and he kept his eyes locked on the building in front of them as she twirled her umbrella. “I expected you to torture him but to sentence him to the Pit? An eternity of pain and torment and you even included little Niffty? How delightfully brutish of you.”

“He knew the terms when he made his deal with me.” Alastor replied coldly, slowing making his way toward the building. He heard Rosie chuckle as she walked beside him, linking their arms together. “And Niffty knew and didn’t stop him, even if she didn’t directly help. Their bond made her just as guilty.”

“I suppose you’re right and they were your souls: I suppose how you punish them is none of my business.” Rosie chuckled, smiling brightly as Alastor held open the door to allow her in. She nodded to her fellow Overlord, gracefully stepping into the building. The demons waiting to get in quickly moved out of her way as she waited for Alastor to join her, once again linking their arms together. The radio demon was glad she had decided to join him: with her by his side, there was less of a chance of him succumbing to his new powers and they could rescue Angel safely. “Now, let us retrieve your little spider.”

“Let’s.” Alastor agreed, swinging his mic out as he quickly removed the bouncer from the door, the demon slamming into the wall as he was tossed to the side. Both Overlord’s placed their hands on the doors, grinning madly at each other as they paused. “Do you have a tune in mind?”

“Why of course! I’ll even let you have the stage first~” Rosie beamed as they swung the doors open, catching the attention of the many demons inside. Alastor chuckled as Rosie glided through the room, her umbrella back on her shoulder as she stepped onto the main stage. The radio demon couldn’t help his disgust at the scene that was greeting his eyes: half naked demons standing on tables, dancing and showing off their bodies to more who sat for them. Many of those watching even had their members out and Alastor was forced to choke back the bile building in his throat. _Disgusting degenerates._

The dancer who had been performing on the main stage seemed confused by Rosie’s arrival and glanced up toward the second floor. Alastor followed the demon’s gaze to see Valentino sitting with Vox and Velvet, Angel on the floor in front of them. Alastor felt the spider’s hope fill him as soon as their eyes met and the radio demon focused on passing a thought to his love.

‘ _Soon, Angel. I’ll be there momentarily._ ’

‘ _Al, ya have to hurry! To break the bond they have ta-_ ’ The spider’s thought was interrupted as Valentino caressed the spider’s chin, tilting Angel’s head back as he kissed the spider. Alastor felt as his flames almost erupted at that moment, but he fought to keep them under control. He could feel the spider’s dizziness and confusion as Valentino released him, and Alastor knew the moth had slipped the spider a drug.

“I see Husk wasn’t able to keep you for very long. I must admit, that’s…disappointing.” Valentino cooed, leaning back in his seat as Velvet and Vox stood, both disappearing into the darkness behind the moth. Alastor scowled as the lightheadedness hit him, but his own anger overpowered the feeling and allowed him to focus on the moth. The Overlord chuckled at Alastor’s resistance, scooping up Angel into his lap. The spider’s eyes were starting to become unfocused and he lazily clung to Valentino as the Moth stood. “Well, I suppose I should get started then. Do feel free to come join us once you’re done.”

Alastor growled as he saw Vox and Velvet appear on the first floor, both smiling at the radio demon as some of the other demons quietly tried to escape toward the exit. Alastor balled his fists, his eyes glowing as his anger grew and he struggled to keep the flames under control.

“ _So, My dear I swore, Never more, never more!_ ” Alastor’s grin grew wider as Rosie began to sing, Velvet and Vox looking to the demoness confused. He began to chuckle as he straightened his jacket and bow tie, the music notes from Rosie’s singing appearing in the air around her. “ _On my list, I insisted that kissing must be crossed out.”_

 _“Now, I find I was blind, and oh my!”_ Alastor joined in, his notes starting to swirl in the air around him as the demoness grinned. He leapt gracefully onto the stage beside her, the pair grinning as Vox and Velvet joined them, the Tv Demon’s electricity already flowing around him. Velvet’s hair wriggled in the air and the radio demon grinned, waving his arm in time with Rosie.

“ _How I lost Out!_ ” The notes quickly flew at the opposing Overlords as Alastor and Rosie chuckled, the pair separating as Velvet leapt at them, the doll dodging the notes as they sliced her skin. Alastor’s eyes glowed brightly as he flung his hand out toward Vox, meeting the TV’s bolt with a flash of fire.

“ _I Could cry salty tears, Where Have I been all these years?_ ” Rosie sang, the radio demon quickly catching Vox’s hands as the Overlord leapt at him and he merely laughed at the electricity that flashed around the pair. A spiral of flame rose from the floor as Alastor tossed Vox away, the TV demon breaking his fall as he landed on one of the demon’s attempting to escape.

“ _Like wow, tell me now, How Long has this been going on?_ ” Alastor chuckled, smiling as Vox dashed to avoid the notes from the radio demon’s singing and Alastor caught a brief glimpse of Rosie. The musical demoness was making sure to hum the lines Alastor sang, her notes constantly swirling around her as she parried each of Velvet’s thrusts with her umbrella.

“ _There were chills up my spine!_ ” Rosie thrusted in Velvet’s opening, catching the doll in the chest and forcing her to step back. Alastor chuckled as he watched, clutching his head as more of the fog from Angel filled his brain. _Focus:_ right now he needed to focus and sing.

“ _And Some thrills I can’t define!_ ” Alastor laughed as he wrapped his tentacle around the doll, swinging Velvet into Vox as he leapt back on the stage, gently taking Rosie’s hand. The demoness joined him in his laughter as Vox and Velvet attempted to untangle themselves, pushing each other away just as the deadly music reached them.

“ _Listen, sweet I repeat,_ ” The pair chuckled, quickly switching places as they were once again set upon by the couple, Rosie now facing Vox as Alastor smiled at Velvet. “ _How Long has this been going on?_ ”

“ **Shut up!** ” Velvet yelled, reaching out with her hair to grab the radio demon and Alastor smiled as his Shadow rose from the ground, allowing the doll’s hair to get entangled in its darkness. It quickly sunk back into the ground, dragging Velvet’s hair into the blackness and she cried out as she was dragged to the ground.

“ _Oh, I feel that I could melt, Into Heaven I'm hurled!”_ Rosie grunted as she struggled to sing the lyrics and Alastor turned quickly to see Vox pushing the demoness back across the stage. The Tv demon’s bolts were quickly destroying her notes before they could reach him and Rosie was using her umbrella to deflect the electricity away, striking the few demons who had yet to escape the club.

“ _I know how Columbus felt, Finding another world.”_ Alastor slid in front of Rosie, blocking Vox’s next attack with a wall of Hellfire. He quickly dismissed the flames, using his mic to knock the TV demon away as he held his hand out to Rosie, pulling the demoness into a spin as Velvet leapt back at them, finally freeing herself from Alastor’s Shadow. Alastor and Rosie stood back to back, rotating as they took turns singing, building the notes in the air around them.

“ _So, Kiss me once, then once more!”_ Rosie groaned as Vox’s electricity reached her, burning a hole in her sleeve as Alastor flung the TV away.

“ _What a dunce I was before.”_ Alastor had to grab his head as another wave of nausea from Angel hit him, and he barely managed to parry Velvet. He glanced up to see the notes building in the air above them. _Just a bit more._

 _“What a break!”_ Rosie grabbed Alastor’s hand, quickly swinging him out of the way of another bolt of electricity, using her umbrella to deflect it up.

 _“For Heaven's sake!”_ Alastor covered them both with his Shadow as the lights above them shattered from the bolt, raining glass on them.

 _“ **Stop singing!** ”_ Velvet and Vox screamed at the pair, rushing them both. Alastor grinned as he dropped his appearance, completely slipping into his demonic form. He could no longer see the Overlords, _but oh,_ he could smell their fear as they paused, terrified of seeing him like this again. He heard Rosie chuckle behind him as Alastor sent a torrent of Hell flame into the air, setting each of the notes they had built ablaze as Rosie aimed the barrage at the pair. Although he couldn’t see her in his demonic form, he could imagine Rosie’s grin, her face and black eyes glowing in the oranges and reds of the fiery music.

“ _How long has this been going on~_ ” Rosie grinned and Alastor growled, using his hearing to catch Vox and Velvet in his tentacles, preventing the pair from escaping as Rosie finished her song. He heard as the notes began to fall from the air, striking the ground with small bursts of fire and the radio demon had to move back to avoid being struck. He shifted back to normal as he slid under the demoness’ umbrella, protecting them both from the rain of music that started to set the club ablaze.

“I’d hurry now, Alastor.” Rosie smiled, pushing the radio demon away from her as one of the lights came crashing down between them. The demoness flung her umbrella, clearing herself a path to the front door through the growing flames. “Before the building burns down. You were always too theatrical for your own good.”

“I live for the stage.” Alastor affirmed, leaping off as he started down the way Vox and Velvet had come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: The Song Alastor and Rosie duet is 'How Long Has This Been Going On?' from Rosalie
> 
> TW for Chapter 30!  
> Mentions of Sexual Abuse, Forced Drug Use


	32. Your Struggle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “And I’ve got a head start.” Valentino chuckled, leaning down to pick Angel up from the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW//  
> Mentions of Sexual Abuse, Forced Drug Use

Angel struggled to fight the effects of the drug Valentino had slipped him, doing his best to focus on Alastor’s anger as the Moth carried him into the back hallway. He had tried to warn Alastor, tell him before it was too late…but now he could barely concentrate as Valentino pushed them into a private room.

“Hmhm, are you ready to get started Anthony?” Angel tried to growl at Valentino using his real name, the moth tossing the spider to the floor of the back room. He tried to pull himself away, but his movement’s felt slow and awkward, and Angel collapsed back down to the floor, unable to move from the dizziness in his head. He felt as Valentino shoved him with his foot, being careful not to hurt the spider. “Huh, I’ll give you a moment, let the drug really take you out.”

“Al….is…gona..” Angel tried to speak, but it took so much effort to say each word and the moth merely laughed as he sat on the couch, smiling at the spider on the floor. Angel could barely see Valentino, roughly making out the shape of the moth as he tried to lift his head, only to fall back to the floor.

“Alastor will be too late.” Val gloated, crossing his legs as he tapped his foot. “Bringing Rosie was smart on his part and I don’t doubt that together they can take out Vox and Vel, but this is a race, Angel baby.

“ _And I’ve got a head start._ ” Valentino chuckled, leaning down to pick Angel up from the floor. He laid the spider across his lap, caressing Angel’s thigh as he hummed. The spider tried to slap away the Moth’s hand but he only ended up uselessly flailing his arms, unable to coordinate his movements. Valentino laughed as he caught Angel’s arm, pressing the spider’s hand against his face. “You know how hard it is to find a demon like you down here, and you mean too much to me to let you just slip away.”

“Fuck…you…” Angel felt his stomach turn and he tried to bring his hand to his mouth, swallowing the vomit that tried to come up. Valentino nodded, forcing the spider to sit up as he grabbed Angel’s face. A loud crash could be heard from the first floor beneath them, but Val didn’t seem to care as he laughed in Angel’s face.

“Don’t worry, Angel. Once I’ve broken that little bond of yours, I’ll make sure you get _fucked_ plenty.” Angel tried to turn his head away as Valentino took a long drag on his smoke, wanting nothing more than to push the moth off him. Angel bit his lips, refusing to open his mouth as the moth tried to blow the smoke into the spider’s mouth. He heard as Valentino growled, and Angel was forced to gasp as the Overlord shoved one of his other hands up the spider’s skirt. He felt as Valentino blew the smoke into his mouth and Angel moaned with the pain, feeling as if his very soul was set on fire.

“Heh, that didn’t take much.” Valentino dropped Angel back into his lap, the spider shaking from the power Valentino had just shoved into him. This… _this_ was the way Husk had told the Overlords, the last and final way to break someone from being Soulbound: overloading the bond with outside power. For Lucifer, it would have been quick and painless and Angel wouldn’t have even noticed if Alastor had asked his father to sever it. But for most other Overlords, this was the only way they could do it, by slowly pumping the weaker half with more power until their bodies couldn’t handle it.

“I…ain’t….yet.” Angel tried to spit and he could feel Alastor’s anger and worry starting to trickle in through the haze the drug had caused in his mind. Good, they were…still Bound for now and from the way Alastor felt, Angel knew he was trying to find him. Valentino…he had to keep the moth distracted until Alastor could get there. “You….shit…Al…”

“Heh, maybe you needed more Spice to shut you up.” The moth chuckled, sucking his teeth as he started to take another drag off his pipe. Angel tried to roll off the couch and away from the Overlord, but he had only managed to slide his legs off before Valentino grabbed his face again, this time yanking the spider’s head back to force him to open in his mouth. Angel screamed from the pain this time, falling to the floor as the moth released him, curling up from the pain that racked his body. _Fuck,_ how did this not count for Lucifer to come save him? The feeling of the Moth’s power flowing through his body hurt greater than any physical abuse Valentino had ever subjected him too and Angel was forced to hold himself on the floor.

‘ _-gel! Angel!_ ’ Angel tried to concentrate on Alastor’s voice as it flowed through his mind, but the pain distracted him, and he shook on the floor as Valentino nudged him. The moth chuckled as Angel groaned, rolling on the floor to avoid letting the Overlord touch him. _Close, Alastor was so close,_ but he could feel that the second dose of Val’s power had strained their bond. He knew he couldn’t let the moth grab him a third time and Angel grabbed his stomach, rolling on his side as he vomited on the floor.

“Heh, good, you needed to lose some weight anyway.” Val chuckled as Angel felt his head clear slightly from the vomiting and pain and he pushed himself up, holding his head with one of his hands. He glanced over his shoulder to glare at the moth, wiping the last bit of the vomit from his mouth.

“Smiles is gonna…wipe the floor with ya.” Angel managed to sneer, feeling Alastor’s anger grow as he finally homed in on Angel’s location and the spider allowed himself a small chuckle even as Valentino stood. The Overlord yanked Angel up from the floor again, holding the spider’s body close against his own. Even though there was nothing left in his stomach, he felt the urge to vomit again but Angel did his best to hide this from Val. _Wait, he had to wait._

 _“_ Wounds heal, Angel babe. You’ll still be mine and that’s all that matters. _”_ Valentino gloated, taking a small puff of his pipe for blow the smoke in Angel’s face. “Heh, maybe I’ll graduate from that tight ass of yours and finally see what that pussy tastes like.”

Angel didn’t answer as he let his head fall back, throwing himself forward as much as possible as he vomited all over Val. The moth quickly dropped him back to the floor, grunting with disgust as Angel grinned. He watched as Valentino pulled his foot back to kick the spider and for once, Angel wished he would do it with every fiber of his being. However, the Overlord instead turned around and kicked the couch instead, cursing his frustration under his breath.

“ _You’re gonna pay for that Angel Dust._ ” Valentino scowled, lifting the spider up from the floor one last time as he took a deep drag off his pipe. Angel bit his lips again, drawing blood as he was determined not to give in this time. Valentino had already taken almost everything from the spider while he owned him, always finding ways to ruin his small moments of happiness. _He **would not**_ _let Val take this._

 _“ **LET HIM GO.** ”_ Angel was separated from the moth as a burst of flame shot between him and Valentino and he fell back to the floor, groaning as he bounced. He felt himself quickly being scooped up and he soon found himself being placed in Alastor’s arms by the radio demon’s shadow. The prince’s face had halfway shifted into his wendigo form and Angel had to admit, Al looked more terrifying this way. His skin hung loosely from the half that was a deer skull, and the skull dripped with his black blood, the liquid dripping onto Angel’s chest. Alastor also seemed in more pain this time, as if he was fighting the transformation as he stepped more into the private room.

Valentino had quickly retreated to the opposite side of the room and now that the door was open, Angel realized that the hallway was on fire, the smoke now filling the room they were in. The spider tried to cover his mouth as he began to cough from the smoke and he felt as Alastor pressed him into his coat, still growling at the Moth. Alastor _really_ smelled awful this time and Angel did his best to swallow the next round of vomit that was building in his throat.

“Heh, burning my club down, huh?” Valentino sneered, opening his coat into his wings as the fire reached one of the other closed rooms, exploding from the sudden intake of air and Angel buried himself further into Alastor to protect him from the heat. “You’re lucky you’re the prince now, otherwise I’d be _very_ upset.”

“ _You’re lucky the building **is** burning._” Alastor retorted, his voice distorted as he spoke out of half of his face, holding Angel closer to him as another wave of fire exploded in the hallway behind them. _Dear Lucifer, what had Alastor done while fighting Vox and Vel?_ “ _Otherwise I would give you the proper punishment you deserve._ ”

“ _Oh, promises, promises Alastor._ ” Valentino cooed, quickly leaping out the window as the fire reached their room, the flames licking the doorway. Alastor remained silent as he watched the moth fly away before the deer skull on his face fell away, shattering into darkness as it hit the floor. Alastor closed his eyes as he sighed, before looking softly down at Angel. The spider tried to smile, but he began coughing from the heavy smoke, once again burying his face against Alastor.

“Let’s go Anthony.” Angel closed his eyes as they sunk into the floor, the heat from the flames causing the spider to flinch. Soon he felt the cool air from outside the building and he looked up to the faint outline of the club burning across the street from where Alastor held him. Angel looked up over Alastor’s shoulder to see Rosie standing next to her fellow overlord, her black eyes smiling down at the spider.

“You’re a lot of work, little spider.” The demoness’ teased, waving slightly as she began to disappear into her own shadow. “But now that you are safe, I must return to my little Firecracker.”

Alastor slowly set Angel down as Rosie left, her dark shadow zipping down the street back to the Hotel. Angel soon fell back to the ground, sitting heavily on the sidewalk as he looked up to the burning building. He had never gotten the chance to dance at Revolution and now, he guessed he never would.

“Angel, are you…?” The spider looked up as Alastor sat down beside him and his heart began to pound in his chest from the radio demon’s question. _Wait, why couldn’t he feel Alastor’s relief, his disappointment?_

 _“_ Al, you…I… _”_ Angel’s vision distorted as his eyes filled with tears and he threw his arms around Alastor. The radio demon seemed surprised, as it took him a moment to return the gesture. Angel squeezed him tighter, unable to help the tears that flowed. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t warn ya fast enough. I wasn’t…strong enough…”

“Enough for what, Anthony?”

“The bond, I can’t feel your emotions anymore.” He felt Alastor freeze in his arms and he didn’t resist as the radio demon pushed him up, looking deep into the spider’s eyes. Angel maintained contact for a moment before drifting his eyes downward, unable to meet his partner’s gaze. “I’m sorry.”

“Angel, I can feel yours just fine.” Angel quickly looked up as Alastor spoke, the radio demon’s concern plain on his face, even if Angel couldn’t _feel_ the emotion in his chest. “I can still feel you.”

“What? How…”

“I don’t know.” Alastor slowly shook his head, groaning from pain as he dropped his forehead into his hand. Angel didn’t know if it was the fog in his own head that was causing the prince pain, or something else and that _terrified him._ Alastor took a deep breath before looking back to Angel, a forced smile on his face. “I…don’t know a lot about how these work.”

“That’s two of us,” Angel tried to chuckle and Alastor joined him, gently pulling the spider to his feet. They stood awkwardly as the building let out another burst of flame, shooting fire high up into the night sky. Angel watched as the tongues licked the sky before fading, turning his gaze back to Alastor. “But maybe we should leave?”

“Let’s.” Alastor pulled Angel close as they once again began to sink into the demon’s shadow and as they arrived inside the radio demon’s tower, Angel couldn’t help the worry that started to fill his chest.


	33. Our Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I…I can’t feel you.” Angel sobbed, clutching Alastor’s hand close to his face as he wiped away the blood from Alastor’s face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Light Smut in this Chapter

Angel didn’t resist as Alastor picked him up again, carrying the spider straight up the stairs to his dark bedroom. His heart raced as he was laid down on the bed and he felt as Alastor sat beside him, sighing heavily. The spider forced himself up, feeling around in the darkness to find Alastor’s hand.

“Al, I…”

“Shhh, Angel. You need to rest right now.” Alastor gently peeled off Angel’s glove and kissed the spider’s fur, sending a shiver through the demon from the contact. Alastor’s face and hands were still wet with blood, and Angel brought one of his free hands to his chest, his fur now matted with the dark substance. “That drug is still effecting you.”

“But…the bond…”

“Can wait.” Alastor affirmed, bringing the spider’s hand to his face and Angel couldn’t help the tears that started to roll down his face. He never realized how Alastor’s emotions had begun to fill his daily life and now, without them, he felt _so empty._ Angel dropped his head down as he sobbed, feeling Alastor’s gloved hand slide across his cheek. Here Alastor was, sitting right next to him, holding him in his arms, but he felt so far away, as if there were a chasm between them.

“ _I…I can’t feel you._ ” Angel sobbed, clutching Alastor’s hand close to his face as he wiped away the blood from Alastor’s face. He felt as the radio demon shifted on the bed neck to him, pulling his hand away as he released the spider. Angel was confused when he felt the tentacles gently touch him, slowly sliding his gloves from his hands and carefully unbuttoning his jacket. Angel felt himself slowly being lifted into the air once the appendages had removed his top and he was gently placed back into Alastor’s lap, straddling the radio demon.

“ _I’m right here, Anthony._ ” Angel was surprised to find his hands were touching bare skin, Alastor’s numerous scars rough under his touch. Alastor…had completely removed his shirt and he gently pressed the spider into his bare chest, shivering as their bodies touched. Angel could feel his fur grow wet from Alastor’s blood and he realized that Alastor was _bleeding_ from all the wounds on his body. They were the result of him overusing his powers and Angel wrapped his arms tightly around the prince, his heart aching as he realized the truth.

“I’m…sorry.” Angel cried, burying his face into Alastor’s shoulder as the radio demon gently ran his gloves over his back. Alastor was in so much physical pain from using his powers, emotional pain from feeling Angel’s emotions and he…he couldn’t share any of that. Valentino had completely cut him off from Alastor and he did his best to swallow his tears, burying his face further against Alastor’s skin. _Dear_ _Lucifer,_ Alastor really did smell _horrible. Blood, Sweat, fire…_

“Stop apologizing, Anthony, or else,” Angel was surprised as he felt Alastor push him back and his lips were roughly assaulted as the radio demon kissed him deeply. Angel gave in as Alastor explored his mouth, tears still rolling down his face as he attempted to kiss back. The spider’s body started to ache as the radio demon tightened his grip on the Angel’s waist and Angel was filled with a warmth that seemed to soothe his soul. The spider demon was left gasping for air when Alastor released him and he shivered in the prince’s arms. “ _I may be forced to distract you._ ”

“ _Al…_ ” Angel breathed, stroking the radio demon’s face in the dark room, Alastor’s eyes glowing slightly as he looked up to the spider’s face. Angel gently stroked one of the scars on Alastor’s shoulder, surprised to feel a slight sensation start on his own skin. “ _Al, I felt that._ ”

“Hmm?”

“Your scar.” Angel dug his fingers in slightly, gasping as he felt the pain that shot through his own body. He heard Alastor grunt with the pain before he released him, excitedly grabbing the radio demon’s face, kissing him deeply. The same warmth from before filled him as he used his tongue to taste his partner and while Alastor returned the kiss, he could feel the tiniest bit of confusion from the radio. He pulled back, his excitement only growing. “ _I can feel your pain._ ”

“What?” Alastor breathed, still not quite understanding. Angel pushed the radio demon back, chuckling as he ran his hands along Alastor’s sides, delighting in the small sensations of pain that ran up his own body. He _never_ thought he’d be this happy to be in pain.

“Your pain. I can feel it.” Angel breathed, leaning down to kiss the radio demon’s chest, delighting in the faint surprise he felt from Alastor. “Your emotions, I can kinda feel them. Kissing, I think you gave me some of your power when you kissed me.”

“How does tha-”

“That’s how Val was breaking the bond. He was trying to overload it with his power.” Angel sighed, picking slightly at the dried blood on Alastor’s skin in the darkness. They really should take a shower. “If he had managed to kiss me again, it would have broken from the strain.”

“So kissing _me_ ,” Alastor carefully lifted Angel’s head, bringing their faces back together as Alastor kissed him gently this time, and the spider couldn’t help his soft moan. No warmth touched him this time but he simply enjoyed touching Alastor like this. _Soft, gentle_ …but this wouldn’t fix the bond, remove the strain Val had caused. “Is healing the damage?”

“Only when you’re being passionate.” Angel breathed, his heart pounding as he said it. But if Alastor kept kissing him like that, even if it was just to fix their connection, could they stop? Alastor seemed to sense Angel’s hesitation, gently stroking the spider’s face as he hummed.

“Does it have to be now?”

“I…I don’t know.” Angel admitted, sitting up from the radio demon as he considered what Alastor was asking him. They could do this, _they could fix it right now_ , but Angel _knew_ where that would take them. There was no way he could ask Alastor to stop this time and he knew he wouldn’t want him to but was he ready for this? Sex was one thing when he was working, but it had been years since Angel had sex because he cared about his partner. Was he ready to be that vulnerable again?

“Then let’s wait.” Alastor offered, settling his hands gently on Angel’s waist. The spider brought his upper hands to his chest as he felt a hint of the radio demon’s disappointment at his hesitation and Angel closed his eyes, gripping his chest tightly. _He **wanted** this, he wanted Alastor:_ why couldn’t he just let go of his fear and let the radio demon love him? Angel opened his eyes as he felt Alastor’s glove rest on his hands and he allowed the prince to pull him back down for a soft kiss. “As long as the bond won’t break, you can take all the time you need, Anthony. _I’m not going anywhere._ ”

“I’m sorry, I just..”

“No excuses, Anthony.” Alastor hushed him, finally sitting up as he pushed Angel back, moving the spider’s hands so he could bury his face into the spider’s chest fluff. Angel couldn’t help his slight chuckle, shaking his head as he leaned over the shorter demon to stroke Alastor’s deer tail. The prince let out a gasp before gripping the spider tightly, pulling Angel roughly down into his lap. Angel’s heart pounded as those red eyes looked up to him again, this time watching him hungrily. “ _But I wouldn’t tempt me, mon ange._ ”

“Okay, Okay.” Angel hummed, sliding his hand back up the radio demon’s back, flicking off more of the dried blood. Alastor loosened his grip, once again gently holding the spider’s waist. “Although, we should both probably take a shower at this point. It’s gonna take forever to get this blood out of my fur.”

“Hmm, would you like me to help you?” Alastor offered and Angel chucked nervously, tracing circles into the radio demon’s back as he wrapped the rest of his arms around the prince.

“I thought we were gonna wait.” Angel teased, stroking Alastor’s carefully maintained ears, loving the sigh of contentment from the demon in his chest. “How can I trust ya to keep your hands to yourself if ya see me in all of my wonderful beauty?”

“I assure you, it won’t be that difficult.” Alastor answered, humming as he buried his face further into Angel’s chest, tapping his gloves on Angel’s waist before releasing him, gently pushing the spider from his lap. “Go, by time you’re finished I should have the bed ready.”

“Al, I was only-”

“No, you’re right. It would be too tempting, but not for the reasons you think.” Alastor chucked, and Angel could slightly feel Alastor’s hesitance as he looked into the radio demon’s glowing red eyes. The slight glow allowed the spider to see the small smile on Alastor’s face and his own chest ached with that expression. “Besides, the sheets need to be changed if we are going to sleep up here tonight.”

“Al-alright.” Angel finally conceded, fumbling his way in the dark as he tried to find the door. He squinted his eyes as the door was opened for him and the soft light from downstairs filtered into the bedroom. The spider paused in the doorway, glancing back as he looked to see the radio demon. Alastor was leaning back on the bed and Angel could see that he was aroused from the slight shaking in his body as he sat, the heavy breaths as his chest rose and fell, the…bulge that throbbed in the prince’s pants. The spider forced himself to turn away, quickly climbing down the stairs as he grabbed his chest, cursing his own fear.

His heart needed to get with the picture soon, because he wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep telling Alastor no.


	34. His Punishment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alastor leaned back in his chair slightly, looking back up to the ceiling: no, he supposed it wasn’t too surprising that Husk’s affection for the radio ran so deep, but it didn’t excuse his actions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRigger Warning
> 
> Torture

Alastor sighed heavily, laying the paper in his hand back on his desk. It seemed his coronation had the opposite effect that he and Charlie had expected, and _more_ demons were interested in the Hotel now that Alastor was the new Prince of Hell. Perhaps it was just curiosity, or more likely, a desire to try and find a weakness for the Overlord. Alastor chuckled to himself as he leaned back in his chair, swiveling as he turned to look at his bookshelf. As if: the radio only had one weakness, and he protected it fiercely.

A few days after the fire at Revolution, Alastor had gone with Angel and Rosie to confront Valentino and to rework the terms of the spider’s employment. The Moth was suspicious at first, not believing that Alastor would truly allow Angel to continue working for him but the radio demon had merely smiled. He was only there to ensure the terms were fair, he had smoothly replied, as Angel wanted to continue his work and he had no desire to stop him. Rosie had tagged along out of curiosity and to ensure Valentino didn’t try anything a second time.

Alastor had been more than uncomfortable as he listened to the spider and moth argue over the new terms, as Angel wanted a fairer cut of his earning and the right to say no to certain shoots. Valentino seemed less upset about increasing Angel’s pay and more upset about Angel no longer doing shoots that included vaginal sex. As Alastor had feared, it was obvious that the spider didn’t like his female anatomy, and the prince had sighed as he listened. Unfortunately, it was that anatomy he was more familiar with, and while it didn’t dampen his desire for the spider, it made the idea of being intimate with Angel more awkward.

“Anthony…” Alastor sighed, closing his eyes as he leaned further back into his chair, his heart aching as he thought about his partner. It hurt more than he wanted to admit that Angel could no longer feel his emotions and to say that Alastor had wanted to repair their bond immediately was an understatement. Despite still believing he would care for Angel without it, to say that it was precious to him understated the importance it was starting to have. To have it reduced to this one-sided shadow of its former self, all because of that cat’s jealousy…Alastor grinded his teeth. “Husk…”

The prince’s anger grew as he sprung forward in his chair, his shoes slamming into the floor. Charlie had tried to talk Alastor into reversing his decision of sentencing both Niffty and Husk to the Pit, but the radio demon remained adamant in his decision. The cat had betrayed him: it was as simple and easy as that and all Alastor had done was fulfill his side of the deal. Angel backed up the radio demon at first, but even he seemed a little regretful once Vaggie and Charlie explained to him what the Pit was.

The plane they lived on was simply one layer of Hell, the part where most demons and sinners lived, experiencing the Hell that was other people. The Pit, the next layer down, was the Hell that pastors preached about and used to scare their flocks: a Hell of eternal torment and despair. Constant pain and torture with no end, no relief, no rest. Only Overlords could sentence demons or souls to the Pit and Alastor always made sure to include it in the terms of his deals. After all, what fun was it if he couldn’t watch people fall through on their end and fall into that eternal despair?

But Husk…Alastor never thought he’d see the day he would send the cat into that cavern of Darkness and pain. Niffty had already been by Alastor’s side when he met Husk, a soul who wanted Earthly power and pleasure. Such a simple request and Alastor easily granted them, but Husk, unlike most souls knew what he was getting himself into. He had bothered to ask about every possible pitfall and Alastor answered truthfully, curious to see if the man would back out. Surprisingly, the gruff man still shook his hand, giving the radio a toothy grin before saying “See ya in Hell, friend.”

“Hmm.” Alastor hummed, thinking over his relationship with the cat. Now that he thought about it, it seemed fairly obvious that Husk had cared about him, even before their bond was established. Husk always went out of his way to learn Alastor’s drinking preferences, making sure to have them ready for the radio demon. Pushy, but not _too_ pushy, just enough to keep the Overlord on his toes and out of danger and Husk even admitted to letting their bond go to protect Alastor, despite how much _he_ wanted it. Alastor leaned back in his chair slightly, looking back up to the ceiling: no, he supposed it wasn’t too surprising that Husk’s affection for the radio ran so deep, but it didn’t excuse his actions.

Alastor snapped his fingers as he turned to his mirror, and at first only darkness filled the glass. Slowly, the radio began to make out the shape of the cat as he huddled in the corner of his prison, cradling the small form of Niffty against him. The cat was clearly worn out from the pain and blood pooled on the ground around the couple. Alastor couldn’t make out many wounds on the tiny cyclops, and he chucked as he realized Husk was protecting her from the torture. After all, it was the cat who had dragged his partner into it, wasn’t it?

“ _I…know you’re there, bastard._ ” Alastor’s laughter stopped as Husk spoke, and his eyes narrowed as he stared into the glass. Husk had opened one of his eyes, looking straight at the prince as Alastor stood from his desk. He walked around to the glass, gently pushing his hand through the surface as he stepped into the Pit, his form becoming unstable as he stood over the cat and cyclops. Light flooded into the space as Alastor created the portal, and he could see the room more clearly. Husk grunted, looking away from the Overlord as Alastor leaned over him. “ _Fucking asshole.”_

“ **Don’t act like this isn’t your fault, Husker my dear.** ” Alastor hummed, gently stroking the cat’s ear with his finger. Husk didn’t respond, holding the cyclops closer in his arms as another spike rose from the floor, burying itself deep into the cat’s side before retracting. “ **You knew the terms from the beginning. You _knew_ what would happen.**”

“At least take Niffty back. She didn’t do anything.”

“ **She knew.** ”

“She didn’t, not until Valentino arrived.” Husk sighed and Alastor watched him suspiciously. Husk opened his eyes to glare up at the Overlord, scowling slightly. “I went to the Studios alone; she never knew until Angel did.”

“ **She didn’t try to stop you.** ”

“Would you have if your positions had been reversed? Would you turn against Angel, knowing how much hated me for being with the person he _really_ wanted?” Husk spat, finally looking back up to the radio demon. Alastor was surprised by how determined the cat was, despite his situation. “What was done was done and she knew why I did it. There was nothing for her to stop.”

“ **She’ll still feel your pain.** ”

“It won’t be as bad on that side.” Husk insisted, meeting the radio demon’s gaze as evenly as he could as another spike ran through his back. The cat quickly shifted the cyclops to keep it from hitting her and Alastor noticed that Niffty was unconscious from the pain. Husk was protecting her to keep her from waking up, from being forced to deal with the full torment that cat was experiencing. “I don’t regret what I did, Alastor. You’ll see that I’m right, that slut is only using you and then he’ll leave you just like she did.”

“ **And that’s why you’re here.** ” Alastor growled, reaching to take the small demon from Husk’s arms. Husk let go, crying out in pain as chains sprung from the walls, slamming his body against it. Blades shot through the cat’s body as Alastor chucked, lovingly stroking some of the cat’s blood off the metal before bringing it to his mouth. The radio demon chucked as he tasted the cat’s blood, adjusting the unconscious cyclops in his arms. “ **You’re lucky Niffty is so good at her job. It would be hard to find someone as efficient as her.** ”

“Yeah, tell yourself whatever you want.” Husk managed to spit, his words followed by a hefty amount of blood. Alastor narrowed his gaze as he smiled, bending one of the blades and he delighted as they retracted, the bend blade catching on Husk’s body. Alastor laughed with pure delight as he watched the blade pound the cat’s flesh, _slowly_ sawing its way through Husk’s already beaten body. The blood splattered all over the prince and cyclops in his arms and Alastor waited until he could look through the hole on Husk’s body before turning to walk back into his office.

“ **Enjoy your stay.** ”

“ _You’ll be back._ ” Alastor paused as he reached the glass, about to step back into the higher plane when he heard Husk’s soft words. He glanced back to see the chains had released the cat, and he lay crumpled on the floor, lying in a pool of his own blood. The room would let him heal for a moment and then the pain would continue, as _it would till the end of time._ “ _Once you see that I’m right, you’ll be back._ ”

“ **Goodbye, Husker.** ” With that, Alastor stepped back into his office, the image of the pit quickly fading from the mirror as he left the cat alone to his darkness and pain.


	35. My Wrath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Don’t speak that creature’s name in front of me.” Alastor hissed, looming over Charlie as his anger returned.

Alastor paused as he stood in his office, still holding the small cyclops in his arms as the mirror faded back to normal. Despite his anger, Alastor _did_ care for Niffty and while he felt justified in punishing Husk, he couldn’t leave Niffty behind after finding out she wasn’t involved. He would have taken her even in Husk hadn’t insisted and he growled at his weakness.

“What’s done is done.” Alastor sighed heavily as he walked out into the lobby with Niffty, hoping to get her to her room where she could rest. The radio demon immediately regretted the choice to leave his office when he spotted Charlie and Vaggie talking with a new guest in the lobby. The girls instantly noticed him with Niffty and quickly made their way to him, Charlie scooping the cyclops from Alastor’s arms.

“Niffty!” Charlie squealed, holding the cyclops like a baby as Alastor sighed, happy to be free of his burden. Saving Niffty would be his last favor to the cat, his last reward for all the years Husk had served him loyally. He looked at the tiny cyclops softly before closing his eyes, turning away from the pair as he began back toward his office. Right now, Alastor wanted to be alone and have time to organize his thoughts before Angel returned.

“Wait!” The radio demon paused, sighing heavily as he heard Vaggie call his name and he slowly turned back around, careful to have a bright smile on his face. The moth was watching him suspiciously, stomping toward the prince to glare up at him. “Why did you bring her back? Why Niffty?”

“Because this Hotel was growing filthy in her absence.” Alastor chuckled, flicking the moth’s hair and delighting in her anger. Oh how he _loved_ irritating Vaggie and the moth just made it _too easy._ “I can easily forgive her transgressions if it means not working in filth anymore.”

“And Husk?” Charlie looked up to her brother excitedly, and Alastor narrowed his gaze as she said his name. “Is he ba-”

“ _Don’t speak that creature’s name in front of me._ ” Alastor hissed, looming over Charlie as his anger returned. Charlie retreated slightly, Niffty starting to wake from the movement and the radio demon took a deep breath. Alastor adjusted his bow tie as Niffty slowly sat up in Charlie’s arms, her eye quickly darting around as she took in her surroundings, finally resting on the radio. He beamed a dark smile at her and the cyclops’ expression grew pained as she saw the blood on her skirt and arms.

“Alastor…” Alastor raised his eyebrow as Niffty whispered his name, tightly clutching her shirt. She shivered again with pain and the radio demon chuckled, pleased to be able to see when Husk was being tormented. Maybe he would enjoy having Niffty around more than he thought. “Please. For me.”

“Not even for you, sweet Niffty.” Alastor cooed, stroking her cheek with a single finger as he brushed some of her hair back into its usual style. “Husk knew the consequences, as do you.”

“He just-”

“ _No._ ” Alastor’s eyes grew dangerous as he spoke that single word, resisting the urge to grab Niffty’s tiny throat. Charlie stepped back from him regardless, clutching the cyclops tighter as if to protect her from her brother. Alastor chuckled as he withdrew his hand, opting to place it behind his back instead. “I could break your bond instead, if you would prefer to end your attachment to him.”

“No!” Niffty nearly yelled, clutching her chest tightly as she buried her face into Charlie’s chest. The princess cradled the cyclops tightly, glaring at Alastor as he laughed, standing up straight as he turned to leave again. At least he offered her a choice and didn’t break it while she had been unconscious, something he saw as a mercy. He heard as Niffty took in a deep breath, releasing it shakily. “No, I…want it.”

“I see. Then we have no more to discuss Niffty. I will give you a day to settle back in-”

“One Day?!” Charlie exclaimed, and Alastor sighed, glaring back at his sister. She had her teeth bared at him, her horns peeking through her hair and he was actually surprised to see so much fight from her. It seemed Charlie _could_ be ruthless, especially if it was over something she had decided to care about. “You let her spend two weeks in the Pit and on top of that she can still feel Husk’s torture. She needs more than one day-”

“ _One. Day._ ” Alastor reiterated, allowing his horns to shift as Charlie growled and Alastor grinned at her, tapping his shoulder. The princess maintained her glare, but her silence indicated her understanding as the radio demon chuckled. It seemed taking her place had its advantages when he wanted her to shut up. “And then I expect to see you back to work, little one. You’ll have to earn my respect again after allowing your partner to do what he did.”

“Yes, Alastor.” Charlie looked down to the cyclops with surprise as Niffty pushed herself up, hopping down from the princess’ arms. The cyclops kept her eye to the floor, refusing to meet the prince’s gaze as he relaxed, releasing his demonic appearance. She clutched her skirt tightly, shivering as she stood in front of Alastor. “I won’t disappoint you again.”

“I should hope not, little Niffty.” The radio demon smiled, watching as the cyclops began the slow climb to her room, flinching as the cat was tormented in the Pit below them. The trio watched as she disappeared into the landing above and Alastor turned a third time, hoping to be allowed to return to his office. He _needed_ to be alone, and he needed to be alone now: if he didn’t get the chance to calm down, there was no way he would be able to face Angel.

“You’re _heartless, Alastor._ ” Alastor released an angry sigh as Vaggie stopped him again, but he refused to turn around, instead opting to leave his back to the couple. “Husk cared about you.”

“No, my dear Vagatha, _I_ am not _heartless._ ” Alastor chuckled, bring his hand to his chest. “ _In fact,_ it’s because I have a heart I’m being so _harsh._ If I was heartless, I never would care so much and Husk would still be here.”

“That’s-”

“So, if that what you and Charlie would prefer?” Alastor sneered, glancing over his shoulder back at the girls. “That I had ripped the damn thing from my chest and left Angel to Valentino’s abuse? Is that preferably to you two?”

“Alastor, that’s not what Vaggie means.” Charlie growled, Alastor turning his angry gaze to the princess.

“ _Oh? Then tell me, what should I have done?_ ” he challenged, meeting her glare evenly. “ _Would **you** be so forgiving if it were your precious moth he had given away? I should think not, **sister.**_ ”

“Don’t compare yourself to Charlie.” Vaggie growled, returning Alastor’s attention to her. “We’re not saying we agree with him handing Angel over to Valentino, trust me we don’t. But Husk knew you and he was just doing what he thought was best for you-”

“ ** _No! He knew I wanted Anthony!_**” Alastor finally lost control of his anger, his flames flying from him as he turned, glaring at the moth. He watched as Charlie quickly pushed Vaggie behind her, protecting the moth from the Hell fire that radiated off the radio demon. Alastor fought to control his anger, to pull back the flames, but he was _tired. Tired of hearing everyone spit that fucking excuse._ “ ** _Husk was jealous. He wanted to destroy Angel, not just our bond. He preferred to see me alone than happy with someone who wasn’t him!_**”

“Al?” The radio demon turned as Angel walked back into the hotel, looking on the scene surprised. Alastor closed his eyes, reigning in his flames as Angel’s surprise and confusion filled him, allowing him to control his anger. He took a deep breath, adjusting his tie for a third time, determined to make it his last. Leave: he needed to _leave_ the hotel and clear his head _._ Alastor started to regret visiting the cat as he walked for the door, intending to walk by Angel. Just as he reached him however, the spider held out his hand, and Alastor was unable to resist grabbing that soft, gentle hand and laying a kiss on the spider’s fur. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I…I was just leaving.” Alastor glared over his shoulder at his sister and her lover. As if either of them would understand; as if either of them _could_. Charlie was incapable of being Soulbound, as she was a creature with no soul and she immediately broke any bond that was formed with Vagatha’s soul. Charlie was just as bad as him, and they had no right to judge his actions. “It seems I’m done working today.”

“Want me to-”

“No, Angel.” Alastor sighed, releasing the spider. He felt Angel’s confusion at his rejection and the radio demon looked away, his chest aching as he was reminded of their one-sided bond. No, Charlie and Vaggie had no right to judge him when they would never know how _this_ felt. “I simply…would prefer to be alone right now.”

“Later?” _Slight hope._

“Yes, Angel, later.” Alastor sighed, sliding past the spider demon as he stepped out of the suffocating atmosphere inside the hotel. He bounced out into the semi-warm afternoon, taking a deep breath as the door closed behind him. He could feel Angel’s surprise and confusion as the girls told him about Niffty and he gripped his chest tightly as he felt the spider’s own anger. They must have been trying to convince him to make Alastor change his mind about Husk and the radio demon scoffed.

“ _Nana stupides…_ ” Alastor cursed, finally starting off down the street. Charlie and Vaggie would never under the depth of what Husk had done to them, how deep this scar ran in both himself and Angel. They would never understand how broken, how disconnected Angel felt from Alastor, how much it hurt the radio demon to see that look on Angel’s face as he struggled to feel the faint emotions he could still feel. Husk did what he did out of jealousy, selling it as him caring and Alastor scoffed.

If Husk had _really cared_ , he would have minded his own business.


	36. My Anxiety

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He wasn’t sure what it was about Alastor that terrified him so much, but he couldn’t help the intense fear and anxiety that came over him whenever he thought about it.

Angel grunted as he brought the last box into the bedroom, breathing heavily as he set it on the bed. Finally, Angel was out of the Hotel and moving into the radio tower and the spider sighed, collapsing on the bed next to his box.

To say that the Hotel had become suffocating was an understatement for the spider. While he was happy that Al had saved Niffty, Angel couldn’t help the regret he felt every time he saw the tiny cyclops flinch or when he could hear her screams late at night. Alastor said he had offered to break the bond for the tiny cyclops, but Niffty had refused, adamant she wanted to keep it. Charlie and Vaggie also were less friendly with Angel for agreeing with Alastor’s anger towards Husk and Angel brought his hand to his chest, growling softly.

“They don’t understand.” He whispered, standing from the bed as he began to pull out his clothes. Alastor had changed the bedroom to include a closet just for him, and it was here that Angel starting sorting his clothing. He had less clothing that Alastor had been expecting but Angel had merely shrugged, not wanting to tell Al about his small closet. Once, Angel had enough outfits and shoes to fill the entire radio tower, but between Val constant destroying his clothes and barely giving the spider enough money to survive on, his closet had grown smaller and smaller over the years.

“There.” Angel smiled, standing back as he admired his handiwork. He had patiently sorted all of his outfits, putting complimenting pieces together so outfits would be easier to coordinate without forcing him to dig through the closet. Angel hummed with delight as he felt the slight annoyance from Alastor downstairs and he chuckled as he heard the radio demon call to him.

“Anthony, come get this blasted son of yours or he’ll be breakfast tomorrow!” Angel giggled as he glided back down the stairs, finding Alastor hissing at Fat Nuggets as the pig settled himself in the middle of the couch. Angel quickly scooped up the pig, earning himself a squeal of disapproval as he placed his son back in his bed before turning a grin to Alastor.

“Ah, c’mon Smiles, he just wanted to sit with ya.”

“I do _not_ fraternize with my food, Angel.” Alastor hissed, but Angel could feel a hint of mirth to his emotions. The spider giggled again as he bounced over to the Overlord, gently tapping Alastor’s arm. The radio demon consented as he sighed, still pretending to be upset as Angel draped his arms all over him, hugging Alastor loosely. “You’re lucky that snack means so much to you.”

“Awh Al, don’t pretend to be so glum.” Angel pushed on the radio demon’s face, stretching his lips into a smile. He chuckled as he watched Alastor fight the desire to give in, stroking the radio demon’s sides with his lower hands. “Give it two days and I’ll catch you two cuddling on the couch.”

“ _Never in a million lifetimes, my dear._ ”

“That’s what they all say.” Angel laughed, releasing Alastor as he sat on the couch, sighing as he glanced around the room. Honestly, the tower barely looked different as Angel didn’t bring much from his room at the Hotel. The major difference was the inclusion of his vanity, which Alastor had slid next to the radio so Angel could listen to music as he dolled up for work. “Hmm.”

“Yes Anthony?” Angel frowned as Alastor sat next to him, his thoughts turning to work and his newfound freedom. Working for Valentino wasn’t so bad now that he was working of his own free will, and he had to admit that the moth was actually a decent boss when he didn’t own your soul. Once he realized that Alastor wasn’t trying to fully keep Angel away, Valentino had become quite civil towards the pair, if still a little cold. He no longer tried to force Angel to do things against his will, and only yelled or reprimanded the spider when Angel messed up while filming. He even pulled Angel off the streets, only forcing him to dance at the clubs or film at the Studios. When Angel asked why, Val had only huffed and said, “Not fair to your partner.”

“It’s…nothing.” Angel sighed, his thoughts now turning to their bond. He still struggled between his desire to fix it and his intense fear of being intimate with Alastor. He wasn’t sure what it was about Alastor that terrified him so much, but he couldn’t help the intense fear and anxiety that came over him whenever he thought about it. It also didn’t help that the spider didn’t have much practice with sex repulsed demons, so he didn’t quite understand what ‘pleasure’ meant to the radio.

“Anthony,” Angel looked up to see Alastor watching him, and the radio demon slowly slid his hand into the spider’s lap, gently touching his thigh. Angel sighed softly as he smiled at the prince and Alastor was looking up to him with an equally soft smile. “If something is bothering you, don’t feel the need to hide it from me.”

“Well, I…” Angel’s voice trailed off as he frowned, and he wrapped his fingers with Alastor’s as the radio demon patiently waited for him to continue. “What does ‘pleasure’ mean to you?”

“What gives me pleasure, or do you mean physically?”

“Uh, both?” Angel turned back to look at the radio demon, confused by the question. “There’s a difference?”

“Yes, dear Anthony.” Alastor chuckled, releasing the spider as he leaned back on the couch, crossing his legs as he bounced his foot. The radio demon hummed as he closed his eyes and Angel could feel a faint hint of arousal from his partner. “For example, I find hunting and killing my prey _quite pleasurable._ ”

“Right.” Angel sighed, turning away as he remembered the intense arousal that once plagued his afternoons. Considering how affected Angel had been by the emotion, regardless of where Alastor was, quite wasn’t a strong enough word for how much the radio demon enjoyed it. Angel jumped as he heard Alastor chuckle and he felt as the radio demon stroked his thigh again, this time dragging the tips of his gloves along the spider’s exposed fur.

“ _Hmmm,_ but perhaps you are more interested in my definition of _physical_ _pleasure._ ” Angel couldn’t help the shiver than ran up his body at Alastor’s sultry voice, and he struggled to fight his pounding heart and blush. Alastor leaned more into the spider, chuckling as he felt the spider’s embarrassment and growing arousal. _Fuck,_ Alastor was _way_ too good at this when he wanted to be and Angel was once again on the defensive as the radio demon continued stroking his thigh. “ _Why don’t we fix the bond and I let you find out, mon petite meuf?_ ”

Angel didn’t get a chance to respond as Alastor quickly grabbed his face, forcing a rough kiss onto the spider as he pushed him back, pressing Angel down into the couch. Angel couldn’t help the moan that flowed from him as he felt the warmth from Alastor’s power start to fill him and he loosely gripped the radio demon’s shirt. He could feel Alastor’s desire increasing at the radio slid his hand under Angel’s shirt, gently gripping the chest fur he seemed to love so much. A string of saliva connected them when Alastor pulled back, leaving the spider to gasp for air beneath him.

“ _Better, Anthony?_ ” Angel felt his heart pound as those hungry red eyes gazed down at him, Alastor’s arousal and desire filling the spider. The radio demon continued his fondling of the spider’s chest and Angel brought his hand to his mouth to hide his moan. This was suddenly stopped as Alastor grabbed his hand, sliding his knee between the spider’s legs and pressing it roughly into the spider. Angel’s back arched at the bolt of pleasure that ran through his body and he gripped Alastor more tightly, shivering beneath the prince. “ _Oh no, my dear I need to **hear** you._”

“ _Cazzo, Al…_ ” Angel breathed, pulling the radio demon down for another kiss and he gripped Alastor’s tighter as the warmth spilled into him again. _More, he needed to feel more of Alastor:_ he wanted to share his pain again, to _feel_ his every emotion, every thought. Angel’s hands slid under the radio demon’s shirt, slowly and carefully examining every scar and Alastor shivered above him from the touch. He could feel Alastor’s member as he throbbed in his pants and Angel felt his own body respond in kind. _Yes, he **needed** Alastor, even…if…he…_

Angel quickly pushed Alastor up from him, falling off the couch as he struggled to get away. The radio demon met Angel’s eyes with a pained expression and the spider was more easily able to catch Alastor’s fear and confusion. He quickly looked away, grabbing his pounding heart as he mentally cursed his own cowardice. _Why,_ why couldn’t he just let go of this fear, this terror of having Alastor love him physically. The radio demon already was privy to his most private feelings, and he knew Alastor cared about him because who he was and not his body. Then _why, why was he so afraid?_

“Al, I’m-”

“It’s…fine, Angel.” Angel watched as Alastor closed his eyes, holding his head as he sat back on the couch. The spider was surprised by the anger he felt from Alastor and Angel slowly sat up from the floor. Alastor was actively avoiding looking at him and the pair lapsed into an uncomfortable silence as Angel fidgeted on the floor.

“Al, why-”

“I’ll be back.” Alastor quickly stood from the couch, snapping to summon his jacket as he swiftly walked to the front door. As Angel watched the door slam decidedly shut behind the radio demon, he brought his knees to his chest unable to help the tears as he held himself on the floor. He felt as Fat Nuggets came up to him and he quickly grabbed his son, cuddling the pig close to his chest.

“Why, Nugs…I want to let him love me.” Angel cried, the pig gently licking his face in response. “What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I do it?”

But the demonic pig only looked up to him with his bright eyes and Angel chuckled at his own silliness. Of course it was useless to ask Nugs; the pig couldn’t actually answer him and he gently let his son walk back to his bed as the spider buried his face into his knees again. His heart ached in his chest, both with his fear and his desire and Angel groaned, grabbing his shirt tightly as he cried on the floor of the tower.


	37. Her Invervention

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The demoness was smiling at him brightly, standing up from her bench as she made her way over to him. “Marital troubles?”

Alastor took a depth breath as he stood outside the Radio tower, grabbing his chest as he felt Angel’s intense sadness. He closed his eyes, grunting in pain as he gripped his jacket tighter before pushing himself off the door, walking down the street.

It had taken all of Alastor’s restraint not to jump back on top of Angel as the spider scuttled away from him, the demon’s desire getting the better of him. He was unable to help his anger at Angel refusal of him _yet again,_ and Alastor clenched his fists as his anger returned. Angel had sex with numerous demons, was _still_ having sex with other demons and yet Alastor was the only one he was refusing. It was only Alastor he looked at with fear when the radio demon touched him sensually, only Alastor he kept asking _to wait._

“How long?” Alastor spoke through clenched teeth, stabbing his mic into a random demon as he walked by, pulling his mic out as the blood splashed his coat and face. “ _How long do I have to wait to claim what’s mine?_ ”

“My my, Alastor, you may need to watch your temper.” Alastor looked up to see Rosie standing in front of him, and the radio demon realized he had arrived in front of Rosie’s Emporium. The demoness was smiling at him brightly, standing up from her bench as she made her way over to him. “Marital troubles?”

“We’re not married, Rosie.” Alastor hissed, his annoyance growing as Rosie shrugged, offering the Overlord her arm. The radio demon considered taking her offer before turning away, continuing his stroll down the street. He heard as Rosie chuckled behind him before quickly joining him, matching each of his long and angry steps. “Don’t you have something better to do than torment me?”

“Why, _nothing_ is better than tormenting you!” Rosie laughed, blocking Alastor’s flames with her umbrella as he waved his hand toward her. She delighted in the scream of the demon’s behind them as the fireball fell and she glided in front of the radio, chuckling as she saw the scowl on his face. Alastor truly had no desire to entertain Rosie today, but it seemed that the demoness had no intention of leaving him alone. “Now, what’s the trouble Alastor? What has you out today, causing senseless violence?”

“Angel…is being difficult.” Alastor growled, smacking another demon with his mic, allowing himself a hum of contentment as their head exploded, covering him in more blood as he continued his stroll. Rosie’s grin grew and she shook her head disapprovingly as Alastor slowed his stride ever so slightly. “He…keeps rejecting my advances.”

“ _You’re_ making the first move? How Bold! How Brash! How Unexpected!” Rosie laughed, knocking away another fireball that Alastor threw at her. He glared at her darkly as she continued walking backwards in front of him, using her shadow to make the walking seem effortless and not awkward. “I must say, that spider has done good things to you.”

“He keeps turning me down.” Alastor growled, reaching his hand out to grab a shorter demon that was trying to sneak by him and Rosie. He briefly paused in his walking as he slammed the creature into the wall next to him, pulling his hand away as he licked the brain matter from his gloves. All of this violence was starting to make him hungry. “He keeps having sex as part of his work, but with me…he refuses intimacy.”

“Have you asked him why?” Rosie offered and Alastor narrowed his eyes at the demoness. The Overlord shrugged as she used her umbrella to trip a demon that was walking toward Alastor. The radio demon sighed contently as he ripped the demon apart with his tentacles, saving the heart in his hand. He bounced the pulsing object in his hand before quickly swallowing it, loving the way it slid down his throat. _Delicious._

“I know why. He’s afraid of me.”

“No, you know how he feels.” Rosie corrected, turning her back to the radio demon as she tripped another demon for him. Alastor hummed as he considered what Rosie was saying as he lifted the demon from the ground, once again quartering his prey. This time he saved the liver, taking a bite as the demoness continued. “Have you _asked_ him why he is afraid?”

“ _I…_ ” Alastor paused in his walking, the liver still in his hand as he paused mid-bite. He…had never considered asking Angel why: he merely figured if he gave the spider space, he would eventually let go of his fear as he got to know him more. But what Rosie was implying… “Are you saying it’s not me?”

“I’m saying it _might_ not be you.” Rosie shrugged, finally turning back to look at Alastor as he finished the organ in his hand. Alastor hummed as he licked the blood off his gloves, slowly resuming his stroll. This time when Rosie offered her arm, he took it, mulling over her words as he cleaned his hand. “After all, he hasn’t seen you eating has he?”

“No.”

“Has he seen you working?”

“No.”

“Has he seen the look on your face, experienced the absolute joy you get from torturing damned souls?” Rosie grinned and Alastor was forced to chuckle as Rosie hummed a little tune to herself, using the notes to skewer another damned soul to the sidewalk in front of them. Alastor gingerly helped her step over the victim, making sure to grab the body with his tentacles and pull it into the portal. “Oh, Al, a snack for later?”

“Well, I need something, since the damn pig is off limits.” Alastor chuckled, Rosie tapping his hand lightly with her mirth.

“Oh, don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll grow on you.” Rosie chuckled, withdrawing her hand as she slipped a piece of paper into Alastor’s hand. The radio demon carefully opened it, surprised to see it had a time and a location written on it. The demoness beamed down at him as he looked to her questioningly. “But I must thank you for this little stroll, it saved me the trouble from going to the Tower.”

“And this is…?”

“The time and location of our double date! I told you I wanted the four of us to go out once you and Angel were official.” Rosie reminded Alastor and the radio demon sighed heavily as he looked back to the paper. ‘ _6 p.m. at The Lethal Siren._ ’ If Alastor remembered correctly that was a casino bar on the North side and the radio demon frowned slightly. He wasn’t a fan of such places and he turned to still see the demoness beaming at him. “I know you don’t care for such a place, but it’s the perfect environment for you to show off your lovely spider. I’ve waited long enough to show off my little firecracker as well.”

“A perfect place for something to go wrong.”

“Isn’t that _exciting_?” Rosie grinned, her face growing dark with her excitement and Alastor shook his head as he chuckled. Rosie and Cherri had more in common than he ever would have noticed before their bond, but now it seemed as obvious as day. “Besides, maybe this is what both of you need. A chance to relax.”

“Maybe.” Alastor conceded once again linking arms with the demoness as they turned to circle back around to the emporium. He had no doubt that Rosie was planning something under her façade of a double date, but she did have a point. The pair needed a change of pace, something to take their minds off of everything that had happened recently with Val and Husk. Even if there was a catch or a trick to Rosie’s invitation, perhaps this is what Alastor needed to get Angel to open up to him.

“Well?” Rosie posed, pausing in the door to her emporium. Alastor sighed, twirling his mic to clean the blood from his outfit. It wouldn’t clean the _smell,_ but at least he would look presentable when he returned to his little spider.

“Fine, Rosie dear. I suppose Anthony and I can entertain you and Miss Cherri.” Alastor smiled, a slight chuckle escaping him as Rosie beamed.

“Don’t be late!” She chimed, slipping inside as Alastor turned to walk back to the Radio tower, humming to himself as he summoned his snack. He carefully tore off the demon’s arm, continuing his tune as the prey screamed before being shoved back into darkness.

Yes, perhaps this is just what he needed.


	38. My Agony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was the first time that demons could look at them, look at him and Angel and know they were a couple.

Alastor tapped his foot as he sat on the couch, waiting for Angel to finish getting ready. At first the spider seemed confused by the sudden offer of a double date, but he ultimately agreed, saying he had the perfect outfit. Alastor himself was wearing a red and black pinstriped vest and pants, trading his bow tie for a sleek red tie over his white shirt. He had even opted for a fashionable pork pie hat and he twirled the article on his finger as he waited. He finally could feel Angel’s hesitation and he placed the black hat back on his head as he heard the spider’s heels.

“I…I hope it’s not too much.” Alastor felt his heart leap into his throat as soon as the spider stepped into view. Angel was wearing a knee length black dress, the sleeves loose and flowing before tightening around his wrists, giving him the look of a Greek goddess. The radio demon could catch hints of the floral pattern that was hidden in the skirt as Angel walked, and he had chosen to wear a pair of black gladiator heels. Around his neck hung a simple gold chain and Angel held his arms awkwardly, clearly embarrassed. “I feel overdressed.”

“No…” Alastor managed to breathe, standing from the couch as he glided over to the spider. Why…why had it taken him so long to notice how _beautiful_ his Angel was? Before, Alastor only ever saw his body as something to represent the soul he wanted, but now…the radio demon had to shake his head. The spider was absolutely stunning, and all _his._ “You love absolutely ravishing.”

“Thanks.” Angel smiled and the radio demon felt his heart thump as he felt Angel’s happiness. Soon, Angel would be able to feel _his_ happiness again, and everything would be as it should. As it would _always_ be. “We should get going, if we’re going to be on time.”

“Of course.” Alastor gently took the spider’s hand and they gently stepped out of the tower, making their way to The Lethal Siren. As they walked, Alastor began to notice that the perfume Angel wore was different from his usual. It wasn’t the strong scent he wore to work, but neither was it the gentle rose and amber he usually wore around the radio demon. He leaned closer, trying to catch the subtle fragrance. “May I ask what scent you’re wearing?”

“Oh, you mean my perfume? It’s one Cherri gave me.” Angel chuckled, and Alastor could feel the spider’s embarrassment return. “It’s amethyst based, I think. It had purple stones in it.”

“I like it.” Alastor smiled, squeezing his hand in Angel’s. The spider hummed softly at this, releasing the radio demon’s hand as he wrapped his arms around Alastor’s. Alastor could feel the blush starting across his face as some demons started to stare and he quickly brought his hand to his face to hide his expression. Why was this getting to him so much? This wasn’t the first time he had walked like this with Angel…

Actually, _it was._ Alastor’s eyes widened as he realized it: he had _never_ been out with Angel since they had made their relationship official. His interactions with the spider were always either at the Hotel or the Tower and the one time they had been in public together, it had been at the announcement of Alastor’s coronation. That had been a formal affair however, and Angel hadn’t wanted to make their relationship public. This was the first time that demons could look at them, look at him and Angel and _know_ they were a couple.

“Al, you okay?” Angel gently shook the radio as Alastor pulled himself out of his thoughts, smiling brightly up to the spider.

“Just wondering why I waited so long to show off _mon beau_ _meuf._ ” The radio replied smoothly, and his embarrassment started to fade as he watched Angel laugh.

“You keep calling me that, but I don’t know what it means.”

“Hmmm, even if you did, I’m using it incorrectly.” Alastor chuckled, looking up as they arrived in front of the club. The bouncer didn’t even hesitate as he opened the door for the pair and Alastor grinned as he walked in. Once inside, Alastor was quickly able to pick out Rosie and Cherri and he began to lead Angel to the women. “It means my woman, but by saying _mon meuf,_ I am saying my male woman.”

“Heh, you’re not wrong.” Angel chuckled, releasing Alastor as Cherri ran up to her best friend, throwing herself onto the spider. Cherri was wearing a bright pink evening gown that sparkled in the light and Alastor had no doubt that Rosie had picked out the dress for the cyclops, as it was more elegant than he could imagine the girl wearing. Rosie merely nodded to the trio, pulling her cards up to her face as she grinned at Alastor. The radio demon shook his head: of course the demoness would actually be gambling.

“Rosie is wiping them out.” Cherri beamed, quickly leading the spider back to the poker table where Rosie sat. Angel gave Alastor a defeated look as the radio demon chuckled, slowly following behind the spider. “Bitch is fuckin-”

“Cherri.” Rosie was still smiling, but Alastor chuckled at the daggers in her voice as she said the cyclops’ name. Rosie looked stunning her matching pink dress, although Alastor noticed that her dress was a slightly darker shade than the one the cyclops wore. Cherri stiffened for a moment, releasing Angel as she cleared her throat and beamed a less wild smile at the men.

“She is winning hand after hand and looking wonderful while doing so.” Cherri corrected and Alastor had to cover his mouth along with Angel as the pair struggled to keep from laughing from their combined mirth. Alastor had to admit, it was _very_ entertaining to see the cyclops attempt to refrain from her brutish behavior and she glared daggers at both of them with her one eye.

“Thank you, Cherri dear, but it all comes down to skill.” Rosie chuckled, drifting her black eyes over to Alastor as she raised her bet. “Would you like a try Alastor?”

“While I have no doubt I would put you to shame, I must decline, Rosie dear.” Alastor hummed, pulling Angel back to his side. “Although if Anthony would like, he may join you for a game or two.”

“Huh? Really?” Angel looked down to the radio demon excitedly and he practically bounced into the seat beside Rosie, waiting for the current round to end. Alastor chuckled as he looked back to Cherri and he was confused to see the serious look that entered her eye.

“By the way, Lucifer is here with Lilith tonight. We don’t know why.” Cherri whispered, and Alastor’s smile quickly faded. “I’d be wary, apparently he doesn’t usually come here either.”

“Noted, Miss Cherri.” Alastor breathed through gritted teeth, the radio demon moving to stand next to his date’s side as Angel was dealt in after Rosie’s win. He scanned his eyes through the crowd of demons gambling, attempting to spot his father and stepmother. Lilith would be the easier one to spot given her horns and it wasn’t long before Alastor had managed to pick out the couple. They were sitting at one of the tables near the stage, seemingly enjoying a nice dinner together. Lucifer seemed to feel the radio demon’s burning gaze and he turned slightly to look at the prince.

“ _Later._ ” The king mouthed, and Alastor scowled at those words. Lucifer was intentionally cornering him during their double date, knowing it would be harder for the radio demon to slip out unless he wanted to disappoint Rosie. Alastor turned away as he felt Anthony touch his glove, and he laced him fingers with the spider as he tried to swallow his annoyance. 

“Demons and Gals,” Alastor looked back up as the lights were dimmed, leaving just enough lights for the games to continue undisturbed. He could feel Angel’s excitement and he sighed, allowing the spider’s emotions to fill him. At least there would be music, and Alastor was curious to see who was singing. “Tonight we have a very special singer blessing us with her voice, the best Songstress this side of Hell.”

“Best…” Alastor felt his chest tighten, turning his gaze back to Lucifer. No, Lilith was still sitting with her husband, so she wasn’t the one performing. Alastor felt as Angel gripped his hand tighter as the radio demon’s panic began to settle in him. _No,_ there was only one other songstress who held that title and Alastor looked to see Rosie smiling up at him. The demoness seemed purely delighted at the look of fear on Alastor’s face and the radio demon knew that she had known who was performing tonight. _This, this was her game._

“The gorgeous and wonderfully stout Mimzy!” Alastor felt his heart become stuck in his throat as she walked out onto the stage, the woman who had shattered his heart and made him swear off love for all eternity. The one demoness he had not seen since he had failed to kill her in her home, and she smiled as she looked out over the crowd, her eyes resting on the crown prince’s. She smiled at him and Alastor felt both his heart skip at beat at that wonderful expression and his anger rise that she could still cause such a reaction in him.

“This is a _special_ song, for a _special_ demon.” Mimzy grinned, maintaining eye contact with Alastor until she closed them, and the radio demon was released from her spell. He quickly turned away and he felt as Angel started to stand, determined to leave.

“No, Anthony. I’m…fine.” Alastor breathed, smiling down at his date. He could feel as the spider’s worry and concerned filled him and he gently stroked Angel’s cheek. “Play your game, so I can watch you beat Rosie.”

“Ha, unlikely.” Cherri boasted, grinning from the other side of the table. It was obvious that she had no idea what was going on and Alastor smiled at her ignorance. He took a deep breath, doing his best to focus on Angel’s hand in his as Mimzy’s voice began to fill the club.


	39. My Resolve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It’s not fucking fine! She knows about what Mimzy did.” Angel struggled not to yell, pounding his fists against the smooth counter. “She knows how it destroyed you.”

Angel quickly stood as soon as the song ended, dragging Alastor away from the casino floor and toward the restrooms. He slammed the door to the men’s room open, and slammed it shut again as he yanked the radio demon in with him. Angel had struggled to control his emotions during the song, doing his best to focus on the poker game. He enjoyed hearing Mimzy’s singing, as he was a fan of her music, but for Rosie to bring them here, _knowing_ that she was the one performing…

“Anthony, calm down.” Alastor sighed, gently touching the spider’s shoulder and Angel shook as he fought to maintain his anger. “It’s fine.”

“ _It’s not fucking fine! She knows about what Mimzy did._ ” Angel struggled not to yell, pounding his fists against the smooth counter. “She _knows_ how it destroyed you.”

“Yes, but she also the one who pushed me to you.” Alastor sighed, grabbing his chest and the spider sighed, closing his eyes as he tried to reign in his fury. It wasn’t fair to Alastor to make him deal with _his_ emotions while he was still free of the radio demon’s. “I’m sure Rosie did intend to rile me up, but sooner or later I was _going_ to have to deal with Mimzy again. After all, she performs with Lilith quite often and I’m sure Lucifer would never miss the opportunity to make me uncomfortable.”

“So, you’re saying Rosie did you a _favor_?”

“I’m saying she’s entertaining herself by helping me.” Alastor clarified, stroking Angel’s back through the thin material of the dress. The spider fought to keep from shivering, closing his eyes as he allowed the gentle motion to calm him. “Rosie wanted to see how we would react to Mimzy performing and by allowing me to face her now, I have time to compose myself before Lucifer could try to surprise me with her.”

“She could have told you.”

“I wouldn’t have come if I knew.” Alastor admitted, releasing the spider as the Overlord leaned against the counter. Angel could feel the fear and regret coming from the radio demon and he sighed heavily, pulling Alastor into his chest. He felt a twinge of regret about not asking first, but he only closed his eyes, hugging the radio demon tighter. He felt as Alastor relaxed slightly, loosely wrapping his arms around the spider as he barely returned the gesture. “I…wouldn’t have been able to.”

Angel opened his eyes, looking down Alastor’s back and watching as the radio demon’s deer tail quivered with his distress. As much as Alastor was trying to pretend he was fine, Angel _knew_ he wasn’t, but he also respected the Overlord’s desire to stay. He reached down to stroke the soft fur, lightly dragging his finger along its width. Alastor immediately tightened his grip on the spider, digging his sharp gloves into Angel’s side, causing the spider to gasp.

“Trying to distract me, _mon petite araignée?_ ” Alastor breathed into the spider’s chest and Angel managed a chuckle, trying to maintain his confidence. He stroked the demon’s tail again, this time dragging all of his fingers against the soft fur.

“ _Maaaybee~_ ” The spider cooed, and he was unsurprised when his head was grabbed, moaning loudly as Alastor yanked him down into a rough kiss. It was wild and untamed, and the spider had no doubt it was leftover passion from earlier. It was obvious that Alastor had not wanted to stop and Angel was determined not to run away this time. If their first time was going to be in the casino’s bathroom, so be it: he’d had sex in worse places before.

Angel moaned loudly as Alastor’s power poured into him and he could feel Alastor’s arousal and desire practically consume him. _This, oh how he missed this!_ The feeling of all of Alastor’s emotions filling his entire being and the spider was left breathless in more way than one when the radio demon pulled back.

“ _Anthony,”_ Alastor growled his lover’s name, lovingly assaulting the spider’s neck as he kissed the fur gently. Angel gripped the radio demon tighter as he felt Alastor sink his teeth into his skin and it was Angel’s turn to pull back on the radio’s head. He swiftly leaned down to kiss the prince again, loving the taste of his blood in Alastor’s mouth, although he wasn’t sure if the pleasure was his own or Alastor’s. And he _loved that he couldn’t tell_ as he pulled back, the radio demon’s eyes glowing eagerly. “ _I’m not stopping this time._ ”

“ _Don’t._ ” Angel breathed despite the fear that started to rise in him and he gripped Alastor’s face tightly in two of his hands. “No matter what, _don’t stop._ ”

“ _Anything for you, mon meuf._ ” Alastor growled, flinging the spider into the far wall. Angel’s collision was softened as Alastor’s shadow caught him, but he was soon pressed into the creature as Alastor pushed his body into the spider’s. Angel moaned as he felt Alastor’s hot breath against his fur and he couldn’t help the anticipation and fear as Alastor began to drag his hand over his thigh, slowly lifting the dress. “ _Tell me, where should I touch you first?_ ”

“ _Here._ ” Angel breathed, using one of his lower hands to shift Alastor’s hand around to his ass and he moaned as Alastor gripped it tightly. Angel had noticed now that he was no longer doing drugs constantly, he had started to gain some weight. He was still nowhere near as thick as Alastor’s former lover, but he hoped that the radio demon found him less disappointing. “ _Al, mi caro…_ ”

“ _Hmmm_ Italian again.” Alastor cooed and Angel gasped as Alastor gripped him tightly with both hands, lifting Angel’s legs off the floor as he pressed himself in between them. The spider quickly wrapped his legs around the radio demon’s waist, loving the feel of Alastor’s throbbing member against him. His own body pulsed with his desire and Angel started to question why he was ever afraid of _this._ “You’ll have to start teaching me so I can understand you.”

“Only if you teach me French.” Angel breathed and Alastor chuckled, pressing himself more into the spider. Angel moaned loudly as he felt his panties become wet with both his pre-cum and his juices, and he wanted, no _needed_ Alastor to take him. He didn’t care how, as long as Alastor made him _his._ The radio demon chuckled as he felt Angel’s wanton lust and Angel felt as the Shadow supported his weight, and Alastor reached up to stroke the spider’s face as he leaned in for another kiss.

“ _Deal, mon-_ ”

“Oh, _Alastor._ ” Angel’s heart stopped with the radio demon’s as they heard Lucifer’s voice come through the door and they both stood frozen, neither daring to breath. Angel could feel Alastor’s anger start to grow in the silence, and he knew the radio demon was fighting whether to continue or stop. “I’m _sure_ you’re having fun with that spider of yours, but I wouldn’t keep me waiting, sweet prince.” 

Alastor merely growled in response, gripping Angel’s face tighter as Lucifer laughed on the other side of the door. Angel did his best not to moan, biting his lip to prevent the sound from being heard as Alastor pressed himself into the spider more. Angel’s fear grew as he felt Alastor’s determination: the radio demon was planning to continue, even with his father on the other side of the door.

“Be happy I didn’t just come in, Allie boy. I’m sure Lilly would _love_ the chance to feed off your lust.” With this Alastor quickly released Angel, the Shadow sliding back into the floor as the couple stood awkwardly in the bathroom. Alastor closed his eyes, reaching to fix his messy hair as Angel did his best to smooth his dress, their disappointment bouncing between them. Just as Angel had finally decided to give to Alastor’s desire, _Lucifer just had to ruin it._ “Good choice. I’ll give you two a moment.”

“Sorry.” Angel mouthed, his regret starting to fill him. If only he hadn’t turned Alastor away earlier…

“Don’t, Anthony.” Alastor breathed, finally fixing his hair back into its usual style before looking up at the spider. His smile was soft, and Angel sighed happily as he felt Alastor’s soft desire fill him, gently taking the radio demon’s hand. “We…can finish this later. It would be preferably if our first time _wasn’t_ in a public restroom after all.”

“Dunno, you seemed all about it a moment ago.” Angel teased and his smile only grew wider as Alastor pulled him down, their faces mere inches from each other. He closed his eyes as the radio demon kissed him gently, quickly pulling back before it could dissolve into something more.

“ _Trust me, if not for that bastard outside,_ ” Alastor dragged his free hand against Angel’s fur healing the wound from his bite and cleaning up the bright blood that had begun to dry. Angel shivered at the sultry sound of Alastor’s voice and he shared in the radio demon’s frustration. “ _You would be **mine.**_ ”

“ _Can’t wait._ ” Angel smiled, trying to seem brave despite the fear in his chest. He stood back up as Alastor released him and he walked out behind Alastor, holding the door as Alastor continued down the hall. Lucifer was leaning against the wall as the end and he motioned for the radio demon to follow him. Angel could feel the radio’s annoyance as he obeyed and Angel sighed, finally allowing the bathroom door to close. He closed his eyes as he leaned against it, contemplating his situation as Alastor’s feelings left him. He had finally decided to let go of his fear in the bathroom, but could he do it again later? Would Alastor give him that choice?

“You must be Angel Dust. A pleasure.” Angel opened his eyes suddenly, his heart pounding as he looked down. Standing in front of him, beaming a bright smile up to the spider, was Mimzy.


	40. Her Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m going to say from your reaction, you know who I am.” She chuckled, motioning for Angel to follow her. “If you don’t mind, I’d love the chance to talk to you.”

Angel looked down to the tiny demoness, not sure how to respond to her introduction. The short stout demoness smiled up at the spider, her eyes closed as waited for Angel to respond. But he remained silent, unsure of what he could say, unsure if he _should_ say anything at all.

“I’m going to say from your reaction, you know who I am.” She chuckled, motioning for Angel to follow her. “If you don’t mind, I’d love the chance to talk to you.”

“I…” Angel started, but he was quickly hushed as the demoness grabbed his lower arms, clinging to the spider as she dragged him out of the hallway.

“Oh, sweetie, I won’t take no for an answer.” She giggled, beaming a smile at the demons who waved to her, hoping to have that expression aimed at them if only for a moment. Angel had to admit, she really knew how to work a crowd and Mimzy didn’t release the spider until they reached the blackjack machines, hopping up onto one of the tall stools. She now sat more evenly with Angel’s height and the spider sighed, crossing his arms as she opened her eyes to him. “After all, I feel like I should tell you something about your prince.”

“Yeah, I already know about your past with him.” Angel huffed, looking away from the songstress. That smile and pretty face might work on other demons, but Angel wasn’t interested in someone like her. “There’s not much you could tell me that I don’t know.”

“Hmhm, I’m sure Alastor has told you _his_ version of what happened, and I won’t say he’s right or wrong.” Mimzy shrugged, causing Angel to glance back to see her leaning against the machine as she continued smiling at him. The spider frowned, not sure what the demoness’ game was. “Why don’t you hear my side, and make a well-informed choice?”

“Yeah, and what choice would that be?” Angel spat and he was surprised as he felt Mimzy touch his face, forcing him to face her. Her smile had grown more dangerous now and Angel started to get the same vibes he got from Niffty when the cyclops would devour a filthy guest. Mimzy acted cute and sweet, but underneath was a monster, a monster who wouldn’t hesitate to swallow him whole.

“Whether or not you want to _stay_ with Alastor.” Mimzy hummed, releasing the spider as she settled more comfortably on her stool. She nodded to the seat next to Angel and the spider sighed, huffing as he sat down.

“ _Fine._ Talk then.” Angel spat, leaning against the blackjack machine to match the songstress. He didn’t really care for what Mimzy had to say, nor did he believe she would truly hurt him, but Al was busy with Lucifer. Rosie was more than likely the one who _sent_ Mimzy, so it was unlikely the Overlord would help him out of this situation. Mimzy sighed heavily, looking into the screen of the machine as she reminisced.

“I met Alastor shortly after his mother died. We were so young then, barely adults. I fell in love with him easily.” Mimsy smiled, a soft gaze entering her eyes. “He spurned me at first, but after a while, he started to open up to me. He let me in, or at least it felt like he did. He told me about his mother, about how his stepfather had killed her and how he had killed his stepfather.

“I’ll admit, I was scared by how easily he talked about killing people, but at the same time I was so charmed. Alastor was just so…” Mimzy’s voice trailed off and as much as Angel didn’t want to, he understood what she felt.

“Alluring.” Angel answered and the songstress nodded, glancing up at him.

“Yes, he still is, isn’t he?” She chuckled, returning her eyes to the glass. “I told myself it didn’t bother me, that I accepted that was how he was. But as time went on, I realized I was only lying to myself because I thought I loved him. I hated how much he was gone, how he left me alone when I wanted nothing more than for him to stay. I hated how I felt like a possession rather than a person.

“I asked to be married, thinking it would fix things, that he would stay, but it changed nothing. How foolish of a girl I was.” Mimzy chuckled, laughing wildly at her own misfortune. Angel didn’t like the way his heart was twisting with her words and he adjusted his position, attempting to hide his discomfort as she continued. “I trapped myself with a dangerous man over a simple infatuation, and once I realized I _didn’t_ love him, I couldn’t escape. Because he _owned_ me, in more ways than one.”

Mimzy paused, looking to meet Angel’s gaze again and the spider flinched, looking away from her eyes. He knew what she was saying, and it was starting to hit a little too close to his experience with Valentino. How he had traded his soul to an Overlord he barely knew, all because he thought Valentino loved him and he loved Val.

“Alastor…didn’t abuse you.” Angel whispered, not wanting to view Alastor the same as Valentino. Mimzy chuckled at this, and Angel glared at her as she gave him a pitiful smile.

“Not physically, Angel, but emotionally. Mentally.” Mimzy sneered, her smile faltering on the edges. “You know what it’s like to be trapped by someone who claims to love you but would kill you if you ever tried to leave. Forces themselves on you to fulfill their own desires but never yours. No, Al never physically or sexually hurt me, but he left his scars in other ways.

“Alastor doesn’t know how to love. He possesses, he uses, he cares, in his own demented way but he doesn’t love and his time in Hell hasn’t changed that.” Angel looked up sharply at the demoness’ words only to see that Mimzy was looking at him darkly, all traces of her happy smile and persona gone. She looked deep into the spider’s eyes, as if she was peering into his soul. “All he is doing is using that bond to trap you, because he’s decided he wants you. He doesn’t love you and he never will.”

“You don’t know that.” Angel whispered and the songstress scoffed.

“Oh, _but I do, sweet Angel and so do you._ ” Mimzy tapped the machine next her, her dark black and pink eyes still locked on his. “ _I can see that fear you try so hard to deny you have, because the same exists in me. You are afraid to fully give yourself to Alastor, to another Overlord, because you **know** he can’t love you._”

Angel felt his heart pound as the words left the demoness’ lips and he struggled for anything to say back. He…was afraid of intimacy with Alastor because of what happened with Val? The fear that gripped him and always made him pull away… it was because he was afraid Alastor didn’t love him? A fear buried so deep inside him, he didn’t even realize he had it but Angel couldn’t deny the songstress words.

“Your silence speaks volumes my dear.” Mimzy sighed, sitting up on her stool. “Like I said from the beginning, I wasn’t completely innocent in this either. I _did_ lie to Alastor, my kisses and love _were_ fake, but I also knew better than to be honest.

“I _was_ planning to leave him, knowing he would eventually find me and kill me. But I was willing to risk it, if it meant having even of few days of feeling free. Perhaps that does make me as bad as he makes it seem.” Mimzy chuckled, pulling down her dress to reveal the ‘x’ over her heart. Angel gulped as he saw it, remembering what Alastor has said.

“Instead, his uncle killed you, and set you free down here.” Angel repeated and Mimzy nodded, her smile returning.

“Yes, and I was _overjoyed to be in Hell._ I won’t say I wasn’t pleased to know that my death would torment him, anger him that I had been taken away and it was his own fault. I knew he would eventually follow me here and find me again, but the first few years I was here were _amazing._ ” Mimzy hummed and it pained Angel to see her happy expression. “Even when he did finally find me, I had made my peace with dying at his hand. I had enjoyed my freedom and I had no fear of death anymore.”

“But he didn’t kill you.” Angel whispered and the songstress scoffed again.

“No, because he valued me too much as a former possession. Even if he couldn’t have me, he could no longer bring himself destroy me. He calls it love, I call it disappointment.” Mimzy met the spider’s gaze again. _He didn’t want to hear this_ : Alastor was a monster, he _knew_ that, but he wasn’t the same Alastor Mimzy had known. He wasn’t the _same_ monster. “You didn’t see the look in his eyes when he released me and walked out. He was jealous and hurt, sure. But more than that, he was angry and disappointed. Disappointed and upset that I no longer _wanted_ to be his.”

“That-”

“If you’re fine with that, then by all means, stay with him. I’m not here to tell you to leave him.” Mimzy shrugged, leaping down from her stool as she interrupted the spider. Angel watched as she started to walk away, waving to him over her shoulder. “I just thought you should know what you’re getting yourself into before you decide to stay Bound to him.”

Angel was left in silence as Mimzy began to walk away from him and he clutched his chest tightly, hating the way her story had dug into his mind. Her story matched Alastor’s perfectly: she’s hadn’t lied about anything, just told it from her point of view. Some part of Angel knew she was telling the truth: Alastor would never be able to love Angel the way he wanted, the way he desired but…even so…

“You’re wrong.” Angel whispered and he heard as Mimzy paused in her stride. He looked up as she turned back to look at him, a questioning look on her face.

“Oh? And what am I wrong about, Angel Dust?”

“Alastor…can love.” Angel stood from his seat, holding himself tightly. He looked away to the floor, letting out a heavy breath as he spoke. “You’re right, I am scared, scared because of what happened to me with Valentino. But…you’re wrong about Alastor.

“It may be twisted, it may not be what people think of when they say love,” Angel breathed, looking up to meet the demoness’ gaze. She had fully turned around to face him again, waiting to see what the spider would say. “But it _is_ love. Alastor does _love me,_ just like he loved you _._ I’ve felt it.”

“But is that a love you want, Angel?” Mimzy challenged and Angel stood taller, forcing himself to relax and he met her gaze defiantly. “That possessive, controlling love, that need to trap you in a gilded cage? Is that something you can truly be happy with?”

“Yes, because that’s the love that saved me.” Angel breathed, meeting the demoness’ gaze evenly. He barely noticed the small crowd that was starting to watch their exchange, his eyes locked firmly on Mimzy’s. “It was that love that saved me from getting tortured in a store’s dressing room, even when he was afraid I would reject him like you did. It was that love that saved me from being trapped in my contract with Valentino, burning Revolution to the ground and risking his own well-being.”

“Of course he’d do those things, you belong to him.”

“ _It was that love_ ,” Angel insisted, tears starting to roll down his cheeks as he realized the depth of his own emotions. He hadn’t said it anymore than Alastor had, but he _knew._ _He loved Alastor._ “It was that love, that told me to take all the time I needed to accept him. It may not be perfect, and I _know_ I’m just trading one type of cage for another, but it’s still a cage where I’m _loved. It’s a cage where I’m happy. It’s-_ ”

“Anthony.” Angel stopped as he heard Alastor’s voice and he looked up as the crowd parted for the prince, the radio demon taking slow, purposeful steps toward the spider. Angel did his best to wipe away his tears, allowing Alastor to take his hand once he reached him. The radio demon gently kissed his fur before turning to face Mimzy and Angel could feel Alastor’s annoyance. “I would appreciate if you didn’t torture my lover, Mims.”

“You killed and ate mine, Alastor. At least I’m only talking to him.” Mimzy grinned, smiling that beaming smile to the prince as she bowed. “Besides, I was merely warning him. That’s only fair, considering I didn’t know what I was getting myself into.”

“Well, he’s been warned.” Alastor chuckled, lacing his fingers with the spider’s as he stood beside him. “And I believe he’s made his choice.”

“I believe he has.” The songstress hummed, turning that golden expression to Angel. The spider flinched as she saw her eyes open slightly, her smile slightly sad as she watched him. “I only hope he doesn’t come to regret it.”

“I won’t.” Angel insisted, and his chest exploded with warmth as Alastor’s happiness. “I know I won’t this time.”

“I hope you’re right Angel. I honestly hope so.” With that Mimzy walked away, turning her back on the couple as she disappeared into the crowd of demons. Angel looked down Alastor as he felt the radio demon touch his face and he found himself staring into the prince’s soft expression.

“I believe we’re done here.” Alastor breathed and Angel nodded, squeezing his lover’s hand tightly as they sank into his shadow.


	41. Our Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He loved his Angel and nothing, no one would ever separate them again.

Alastor wanted nothing more than to immediately take Angel to his bedroom and finish what they had started in the bathroom the moment they arrived at the Tower, but he fought to squash his own desires. There were…more pressing concerns they needed to discuss and Alastor fought back his desire to claim the spider. To _prove_ Mimzy wrong.

To say that Alastor had been surprised and terrified to find Angel talking to Mimzy was an understatement. He felt every knife twist as Mimzy’s words affected the spider and his own heart only sank further as she recounted how horrible he had been to her. And Alastor knew she was right: he had never lied to himself that he was the only victim of their relationship and he knew he had been abusive and manipulative while with her. But he _had cared_ , he did love her, as much as she believed otherwise.

Hearing Angel’s words of affirmation, they filled Alastor with a warmth he thought he would never feel for a third time in his life. The painful warmth that gripped him whole body, radiating from his chest: it had taken all of the Overlord’s willpower not to burst into tears from happiness. When he had finally composed himself enough to say the spider’s name, he still wanted nothing more than to pull Angel into his arms and kiss the spider. But there was an audience and Alastor was on a stage, so the radio demon put on his best act as he faced Mimzy and whisked Angel away.

The spider in question now stood in front of him, smiling down at the radio demon they kept their fingers laced together and Alastor closed his eyes, sighing happily.

“How…how did things with Lucifer go?” Angel asked softly, and Alastor felt his mood plummet. He carefully led Angel to the couch, taking a deep breath as he sat them both down. Alastor felt as Angel’s fear mixed with his own and he gripped the spider’s hand tighter. “That’s not a good sign.”

“Lucifer…is _requiring_ that I come live at the Palace for a while. To learn everything I need to know to actually become the Ruler of Hell.” Alastor sighed, looking to the sleeping pig on the floor. “I hate to admit it, but he has a point: there is a lot I don’t know about how things actually work in Hell and Charlie was groomed from birth to take his place.”

“So, I won’t see you?” Alastor flinched at the pain from Angel’s fear and he slowly shook his head, gently caressing the spider’s check.

“I will _always_ make time for you, _mon meuf,_ but it does mean I won’t be staying with you here in the Tower.” Alastor chuckled, petting the soft fur under his hand. “How unfortunate. Just when we finally moved you here.”

“For…for how long? When?” Angel asked hesitantly and the radio demon sighed again, pulling his hands away from Angel’s face and dropping it on top of where he held the spider’s other hand.

“I’ll leave next month and stay for at least four months, so I’d be back right before the next extermination.” Alastor breathed, looking back up to see Angel’s face. In spite of the pain he could feel from the spider, he was surprised to see a bright smile on Angel’s face and his confusion grew as the spider chucked.

“That’s not too long. You’ll be back before I know it.” Angel smiled, this time leaning forward to touch Alastor’s cheek. The radio demon leaned into the touch, humming with the comforting contact. “Besides, it’s not like I won’t see you at all and knowing you, you’ll just sneak out whenever you feel like it.”

“At least whenever I can. Lucifer has more eyes in place that you realize, Anthony.” Alastor chuckled, allowing Angel to pull him forward as their foreheads touched. “Thank you, Angel.”

“For?”

“Your words. What you said to Mimzy.” Alastor sighed and he felt as the spider’s uncertainty returned. Alastor released the spider as he pulled away and he watched as Angel laid his head on the couch, looking over the back to the front door. The spider sighed, reaching down to remove his heels.

“She…wasn’t completely wrong. I am afraid to completely give myself to you, I am afraid I’ll only end up burned again.” Angel admitted, laying his head down to look at Alastor once he had removed the shoes. “You _are_ an Overlord after all, and even if I’ve only seen glimpses of it, I know that you’re a monster like all the others.”

“I won’t change who I am.” Alastor stated, hating the ache that filled him chest. He was surprised as he watched Angel laugh, the spider bringing his hand to his face to hide the sound.

“I don’t want you to. It may scare me, but without it, you wouldn’t be you. And you’re more than your monstrous side. You’re also creepy and cute.” Angel smile and Alastor could feel his heart twisting in knots again. “You’re thoughtful, in a weird way and oddly awkward in certain situations. You have hopes and fears, regrets and aspirations, just like anyone else.”

“Even if I am that creature’s son?”

“Charlie is a full-fledged demon with no soul and Vaggie likes her just fine.” Angel shrugged, keeping his soft gaze on Alastor. “I don’t see why I can’t love you and you’re only half.” 

“I suppose Anthony,” Alastor hummed, closing his eyes as he took in the spider’s words. There was a question that was tugging on the radio demon’s mind and he took a deep breath as he tried to find the courage to ask. “Angel, do…do you truly believe I am capable of love?”

“You don’t?” At this, Angel sat up slightly and Alastor shrugged, leaving his eyes closed as he swung his legs off the couch, leaning his head against the back.

“I don’t know. I don’t experience romantic attraction or sexual attraction for the same reasons as others.” Alastor sighed, the ache in his chest growing. He had never thought about this before but after listening to Mimzy and hearing Angel’s words, he couldn’t help but confront her accusations. “I don’t understand love as you know it.”

“There’s more than one way to love Al.” Alastor heard as the spider stood from the couch and he was surprised to open his eyes to Angel straddling his lap, lovingly wrapping three pairs of arms around the radio demon. “And your suffocating, possessive love is just fine with me, strings and all.”

Alastor didn’t answer, merely pulling the spider closer to him as he pressed his face into Angel’s chest. The dress kept him from feeling that soft fur against his skin and for a moment, Alastor wanted to rip the offensive clothing to shreds for denying him such a simple pleasure. He sighed deeply, struggling with his desire as he heard Angel chuckle above him.

“Ya know, you can just take it off, without ripping it.” Alastor looked up sharply, meeting Angel’s soft pink eyes as the spider smiled done at him. How…how had Angel known he wanted to rip it? Could he hear his thoughts again: had the kisses in the bathroom been enough to fix the damage? He watched as Angel’s smile faded slightly, and the spider shook his head. “I can’t hear your thoughts Al. But the way you’re upset makes it pretty obvious you want to bury yourself into me.”

“ _Language, mon meuf._ ” Alastor chuckled, sliding his hand lower to grip Angel’s ass, loving the gasp that escaped those lovely lips. He could feel his arousal returning, that intense desire to make Angel _his._ “ _I still haven’t forgotten what you said earlier. I won’t be denied anymore._ ”

“I meant it, Al. I want to fix our bond, and that’s part of it, but I also want you _. I want you to claim me, no matter how you do it._ ” Angel breathed, pulling himself more into the radio demon’s lap as he grabbed Alastor’s tie and the prince could feel Angel’s excitement and nervousness as he closed his eyes. Alastor’s heart pounded with those simple words, and he could feel himself growing aroused again. It was obvious Angel also felt it, as the spider let out a shaky breath as he grinded himself against the radio demon. “I know sex isn’t your thing but-”

“ _I can enjoy it, under the right circumstances._ ” Alastor cooed, sliding his hands under the dress to tease the edge of the spider’s panties. He wasn’t _planning_ on having sex with the spider yet, but he loved the way those words made Angel’s heart jump. “Although, I am not familiar with sex with a man.”

“Good thing I have both then, huh?” Angel breathed and Alastor paused, his hand partly inside the underwear as the spider spoke, the feeling of nervousness increasing. The radio demon used his free hand to push the spider up, wanting to see Angel’s expression. The spider had his eyes cast down, a small smile on his face and Alastor shook his head, confused.

“Anthony, you don’t like-”

“No, I didn’t like Valentino taking advantage of it. Besides…” Angel’s voice trailed off as he took a deep breath and Alastor could feel the soft excitement and happiness that began to pour off the spider in his lap. “I love my work, but I wanted to be able to save some part of myself for you, and only you, whenever ya want it.”

“For…me…” Alastor breathed, unable to help the warmth that began to fill his chest as his happiness joined the spiders. He hugged Angel closely, hoping to hide the tears that wanted to flow. His anger at Angel’s sex work seemed so pointless now, so silly and his slight worry frivolous. Angel…always wanted him and had considered him from the beginning, saving a part of himself that would only be for the radio demon. Alastor began to chuckle, gripping the spider tightly as he grinded Angel against him, no longer able to control himself. “ ** _Then I should take what’s mine._** ”

“You should.” Angel moaned, gripping Alastor tightly as they sank into the couch, the radio teleporting them to the bedroom upstairs. As they arrived at the dark bedroom, Alastor’s eyes glowed with his desire to fix their bond and make the spider his, and he couldn’t help his chuckle as he navigated the dark room.

He loved his Angel and nothing, no one would ever separate them again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading Soulbound! Chapter 42 is a NSFW epilogue, so you can skip it if you like. Chapter 43 is just a thank you chapter and a surprise ^_^~


	42. Our Bond (Epilogue)

Alastor gently lay Angel down on the bed, his heart pounding from their combined nervousness. The radio demon _knew_ what he wanted but feeling the spider’s nervousness reminded him that it had been a long time since he had done this. All things considered, Alastor was no longer sure he had _ever_ done this right and it made him cautious as he ran his hand over Angel’s fur.

“Tell me, if I do something wrong.” Alastor whispered, leaning over Angel as he reached around to slowly unzip the spider’s dress. He felt as Angel nodded, wrapping his arms around the prince as Alastor slowly dragged the zipper down, the sound only serving to increase his arousal. _Patience_ : he needed to take this slowly and he leaned away from the spider as he moved to slide the dress off Angel’s body. Soon Angel lay mostly bare to Alastor’s touch in the dark room, his underwear being the only clothing left on the spider’s body.

“Can…Can I undress you?” Angel whispered and Alastor chucked at the spider’s slight hope. He carefully leaned away, pulling Angel on top of him as he pressed two of the spider’s hands to his vest.

“ _Anything for you, mon meuf._ ” Alastor breathed, closing his eyes as he removed his tie, feeling as Angel worked to slowly to unbutton the vest. He leaned up to allow the spider to push it off his shoulders, and he felt as Angel paused at the first button of his shirt. A strange hesitance entered the spider and Alastor frowned, reaching up to stroke the spider’s face, once again wishing he could see his love’s face. “Anthony?”

“I…” Alastor felt as the spider leaned down, kissing the radio demon gently as he started to undo the buttons. Alastor did his best to push his passion through the kiss, wanting to fill the spider with power and finally fix their bond. He wanted to hear Angel’s voice drift through his mind again, and he focused on pouring himself into the spider, sliding his hands into the spider’s underwear again. He felt as Angel flinched when Alastor’s gloves touched his member and the radio demon pulled away from the kiss, pushing the spider up. His white shirt was mostly undone and fell down to his elbows as he gently touched Angel’s throbbing arousal. “A-al…”

“Hmm.” Alastor answered, slowly stroking the spider and sighing contently as he felt the arousal explode through Angel’s body. The spider gripped Alastor’s skin tightly, his breathing ragged as Alastor touched him, adjusting his fingers and strokes as he heard the spider’s moans and whines. His own member throbbed with every sound that flowed from those lovely lips and the radio demon fought the desire to touch himself. Instead, he took his free hand and dug his nails into the spider’s thigh, loving the loud moan that exploded from Angel and the delicious pain from Angel’s fingers digging into his own scars.

“ _Cazzo_ _, mi stai facendo impazzire...”_ Angel breathed and Alastor chuckled as he brought his hand to his mouth, enjoying the sweet taste of the spider’s blood. Alastor pushed himself back on top of his lover, releasing the spider’s pulsing member to finish shrugging off his own shirt. The radio demon took a deep breath, swiftly undoing his own pants as he brought Angel’s hand to touch him. He gasped as he felt the spider’s fingers touched this most intimate part of himself and he found himself thankful for the darkness, so that Angel could not see the wanton lust on Alastor’s face.

“ _Touche moi, s'il te plait._ ” Alastor breathed as Angel’s soft hands slowly explored him and he returned his own hands to the spider’s body, gently pulling down the spider’s underwear. Alastor once again slid his hand against Angel’s moist opening, gasping as Angel’s nervousness and fear filled him again and the spider’s grip around his member tightened. Alastor gently traced the shape of the spider’s wet slit, learning and memorizing his love in the darkness of his bedroom. “ _Where should I touch you little Anthony?_ ”

“ _Cazzo, Al…_ ” Angel moaned, using his lower hands to continue stroking Alastor’s member as he used him upper hands to pull Alastor down for another kiss. Alastor drank his spider hungrily, biting Angel’s lip and enjoying the blood that gushed into his mouth. How much longer could he be patient: how much longer could hold back from burying himself deep inside his spider, from making Angel his in the way only he was allowed to? “ _Dentro, toccami dentro~_ ”

Alastor chuckled, remembering those words from the time he had experienced Angel masturbating on his bed, and he removed his glove, slowing sliding his black, twisted finger inside of the spider. The radio demon moaned slightly, his desire and lust flaring through him as he felt how _warm_ his Angel was, how _wet and tight_ his beautiful spider was. He could feel his tip leaking as he explored Angel’s inner depths, leaning back over to drink the spider’s moans. Angel’s hands were growing more insistent as they stroked Alastor’s member and Alastor bit his spider again, enjoying the second gush of blood that came from Angel’s tongue.

“Al…Alastor,” Angel moaned as Alastor pulled back a second time, removing his hand from inside the spider. He could feel Angel’s disappointment, but the radio demon chuckled, adjusting himself so that he was poised to enter his lover’s slick opening. However, instead of entering Angel as he knew the spider wanted, he continued to tease them both, only sweeping the outside.

“My, my, you are quite wet down there.” Alastor couldn’t help the strain in his voice, knowing he wanted to be inside of Angel as much as the spider wanted him there, but the radio demon couldn’t resist the temptation to tease. To tease himself with what he had craved, the chance to mark Angel as his. Angel began to squirm underneath the radio, gripping Alastor’s sides until they began to bleed, and Angel tried to arch his back, tried to force Alastor to enter him. The pain from Angel’s hands caused a moan to flow from the radio demon and he chuckled as the spider finally cried out.

“ _Ti prego scopami, ti prego!”_

“I can’t understand you, _mon meuf_.” Alastor cooed, pushing slightly against Angel as he reached down to stroke the spider’s member. He could feel the spider’s desperation and he delighted in Angel’s frustration as he continued to fight his own desire. It was harder than he expected to resist this desire to feel Angel and Alastor chuckled at his own resistance as he leaned down to whisper close to Angel’s face. “ _What do you need, mon petite Ange?_ ”

“ _FUCK ME, MARK ME PLEASE!_ ” Angel finally cried out and Alastor sighed, propping himself up and thrusted his full length inside the spider with one fluid stroke. Angel’s back arched as far as it could go and Alastor let out a loud moan as he filled his lover. _Finally._ Completely inside, the radio demon leaned over the shivering spider, delighting in the pain from Angel’s fingers in his sides. He kissed Angel’s neck, nibbling slightly.

“Are you…are you alright, Anthony?”

“I’m good.” Was the spider’s soft reply and so Alastor then began to move slowly, surprised to feel Angel’s disappointment. He gripped the spider’s chest fur tightly, smiling as he realized: Angel wanted him to move faster, to love him passionately. Angel tried to move his hips to encourage Alastor to go faster, but the radio demon quickly stopped this by pressing his weight against him. All the spider could do was endure Alastor’s slow movements as his body begged for more and Alastor delighted in the frustration and desire that gripped his lover.

“Please, Al, stop ya teasing.” Angel finally begged and Alastor chuckled, leaning down as he kissed his spider gently.

“I don’t know what you mean.” Alastor thrusted deeply into the spider, his heart jumping with Angel’s sharp moan and the spider’s hands gripping him tighter. The radio demon struggled to maintain his slow pace, Angel’s desire starting to fill him and override his own resistance. Alastor kissed the spider again roughly this time, drinking in his lover’s moans and blood.

‘ _-ease, Alastor, just fuck me!_ ’ Alastor’s eyes widen as he heard the spider’s voice flow through his mind, and all his resistance faded as he began to pound himself into Angel. The pleasure almost seemed unbearable, and yet Alastor couldn’t get enough of it, pressing himself down into the spider’s soft fur. He felt as if he was drowning in it; nothing else around them existed to Alastor, and he moaned loudly with Angel as he moved inside him.

“ _Cazzo, Al, si Più!_ ” Angel moaned and Alastor lifted the spider up, bouncing the demon on his lap. Angel soon picked up the rhythm and began to move against Alastor on his own, the pleasure bouncing back and forth between them. The radio demon couldn’t help his own sounds as he gripped Angel tightly, digging his hands into the spider’s back and loving the feel of blood under his hands.

‘ _Anthony, I’m…so close._ ’ Alastor thought and he chuckled at the spider’s surprise at catching the radio’s thoughts. Angel paused, but the radio demon was having none of it, quickly standing from the bed and throwing Angel back down onto it. Tentacles snaked their way across the sheets, wrapping themselves around the spider’s limbs and member and Alastor released a shaky breath as he gripped Angel’s face. “That _wasn’t_ permission to stop.”

Alastor continued to pound himself into Angel, feeling the pleasure build as he moved inside his lover, that sweet release growing closer and closer. _This, he had waited so long for this_. Alastor loved the blood he could feel running down his sides from the wounds Angel had given him and he brought his hand to his mouth to taste the blood that was still on his hands, smearing it down his skin.

“Al, _cazzo,_ I’m…” Alastor’s attention returned to the demon beneath him and he leaned over Angel, his hand replacing the tentacle that had been stroking the spider’s member. The blood and pre-cum had made the spider slick and the radio demon stroked his lover as he felt his own orgasm building. They came together, as Alastor exploded inside of Angel, filling the spider with his seed as Angel came all over himself, the fluid soaking his fur.

“Al.. _mio Dio…_ ” Angel breathed and Alastor sighed happily, uncoupling himself from the spider as the tentacles slid away. He contemplated turning on the lights, a part of him wanting to see Angel, a pleased, bloody mess on the radio demon’s bed, but he decided against it, instead sitting on the bed next to his lover. He felt as Angel shifted and the soft fur that touched his chest as the spider wrapped his arms around Alastor’s waist. “ _I love you, Alastor._ ”

Alastor chucked as he was filled with the spider’s happiness and calm and the radio demon took a depth breath, closing his eyes to the darkness around him.

“ _I love you, Angel._ ”


	43. Thank you All and Soul Compass

Thank you all for reading Soulbound! This was an AU idea from @eeveesquee on Twitter and I'm so glad she gave me the chance to write this! It was a fun and challenging experiance, as I've never written a slow burn before, but I definitely enjoyed and am happy with the final product!

This is by far the most popular story I've written and I'm happy will all the comments, Kudo and engagement you all have given me here on AO3 and on the chapter updates on Twitter! That being said, I've not quite done with Alastor and Angel yet....

See the Announcement I made for [Soul Compass](https://youtu.be/xU9wL4GybjU)


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